Waiting Game
by Marka.Carbondale
Summary: [RoyEd]MPREG Edward finally moves in with Roy and then the continuing battles in the south develops into a war... Roy leaves, leaving his sick boyfriend. But what's this? Edward is pregnant with... a girl!
1. Crowded

**Disclaimer: Oh yay, said Hiromu, and she, not I, Chojikai Inji Arawasu, created Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Waiting Game**

_About this story: Yes, it is an MPREG, so if you didn't notice that on the summary because you're stupid, let me tell you again: _**IT'S AN MPREG. **_So please refrain from the flames about MPREGs and such, because **I DON'T CARE**. Obviously I know that some people are going to object to this story, so don't FUCKING read it._

_Now, for those of you who have gotten this far without leaving yet, let me explain a bit. Edward will get pregnant. Please don't ask how, because 1. I am not Edward 2. Nor male 3. Nor a scientist. I am a lonely fanfic writer that thought it might be cute for Edward and Roy to have a little girl. Edward being pregnant, if I may continue, it only a small portion of this story. The first half will include it, but it won't be like, porn or something disgusting that will make you think, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH CHO, SOMEONE PLEASE FIND A GUN AND SHOOT HER." Besides, who wants Cho to die? Not Me. I don't…_

_No… if I may continue, wait, were you stopping me? What was I going to say? Oh well… please enjoy my story if you haven't already turned around and left me ;-; I love you all!_

_-Cho_

**Chapter One - Crowded**

_----_

**Roy Mustang** cracked his knuckles as he beamed over his neatly stacked pile of freshly signed papers. He grinned, feeling proud of himself for actually buckling down and _doing his work_. "It's amazing," he commented to himself in the empty room," it's amazing how many people want my autograph."

Well, it turned out that the room wasn't so empty. Riza Hawkeye had silently been polishing her double-barrel shotgun in the background, but when her subordinate spoke, she looked up at him and said, "Well, you had have a few more fans if you'd actually sign the papers more than once a month."

Roy's eyes scanned the room for the voice, zoning in on a corner. "Lieutenant, just how long have you been sitting there?" His voice held questionability along with embarrassment. He leaned back in his chair and tried to look nonchalant while he waited for her answer.

"Long enough to make sure you do your work." She elaborated, "If I didn't have to baby-sit you all the time, I might get something done."

"Lieutenant, you have gotten something done," He smirked, knowing he could possibly be risking his life with the snide comment he was about to make. "You managed to polish your gun, and…" he scanned her corner desk, "… and you cleared your desk." He smiled weakly, a little annoyed with the smart remarked flashing across the room, but definitely grateful for the human interaction that was occurring, seeing how he had remained in complete and utter silence for the last three hours, since his radio decided to break ten minutes into working.

"Isn't it a shame," she said, almost smiling as she raised the gun (playfully?), "that I'll have to dirty it when I shoot it at a certain colonel?"

"Shooting that certain colonel," Roy remarked with a sense of urgent worry in his voice, "would kick you out of the military, or worse," he said, mocking a gasp, "you wouldn't have a pretty face to look at all da--"

He was cut of when she aimed the gun right at his forehead and pulled the trigger, causing a loud, eardrum-shattering boom to emit from the handgun. Roy jumped back, screaming in a high girly voice. He took a deep breath, and then realized that he wasn't shot in the forehead, but checked just in case. He shot her a glare as a smile danced onto her face. She stood up and gathered her papers. "Blanks," she commented and a small chuckle slid between her lips.

"Where are you going?" He said foolishly and out of breath, apparently forgetting that he had almost been shot in the forehead just seconds before.

"Well, sir, usually at this time, people leave their office." She said, but then turned to him with a pile of papers in hand, "But, if you'd like to do some extra work, I'm sure I could round some up."

He glared at her again, and picked up his pile of papers, putting them on her desk. "Enjoy," he growled, before heading for the door, picking up his coat on the way out.

_----_

**The cold air** slapped Roy in the face as he hurried out into the parking lot behind the building, clasping his hands around his black trench coat. He spotted the car that he had driven there and quicked his pace so he could get inside. Upon reaching the door, he opened it and quickly started the engine. He took a deep breath as the warmish air inside of the car engulfed him, it wasn't by most means, but definitely nicer than the air outside. Not wanting to lose the little heat inside, he quickly shut the door and pulled out of the lot.

As he drove down the main street that led to another street that led to him home, he spotted a shivering figure walking slowly down the sidewalk a couple thousand meters ahead. He chuckled to himself, wondering what idiot would be out on a chilling night like this. The only reason he noticed the figure was simply because it was the only figure on the sidewalk. No one else was crazy enough to be walking about in ten-ought degree weather with the wind chill making it even worse. As he neared the figure, the features became more and more familiar. It was definitely a guy, and he was short. He wore his hair under a warm hat in a tight blonde braid. The clothes he was wearing looked like they were rushed, and not very warm, like he was pushed out from wherever he was coming from.

It soon became very clear to Roy that the guy walking down the street was Edward Elric. Now he wasn't inquiring why his lover was walking around the town late at night during winter, (though he knew that with automail, he _had_ to be cold), but he was worried for him, and quickly pulled over.

Edward's golden eyes spotted the car when it began to slow, and, not bothering to look at the driver, sped up, thinking that it was a stalker or rapist. When Roy rushed around the car to get to him, Edward became scared, not knowing that it was his older boyfriend. He quickened his pace a bit more, but then, when he realized that he was not going to get away from whoever was following him, he turned around and began, "LOOK, LEAVE ME ALONE OR I'LL SLICE YOU, MOTHER--" He spotted Roy and then his scared-slash-angry look changed to one of relief. His eyes softened and began to water as he said, "Roy… it's you."

Roy raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, it is."

Edward walked slowly up to him, wrapping his arms around his lover's waist. Roy shivered when he felt Edward's icy body touch his, but gladly put his arms around him to share his body heat as Edward snuggled a bit closer. "Tonight has sucked so bad." He lay his head softly against Roy's chest.

"Why're you out here?" Roy asked, desperately wanting to know why.

"Can I come to your place, I have no where to go." Edward replied, either ignoring Roy's question or not hearing it.

"What-Edward," Roy said in a motherly like tone, "You know you can come over whenever."

"Okay," he said, not letting go of the warm body in front of him.

Roy stood there for awhile, letting Edward get a little warmer, but then unhooked his arms, causing Edward to scowl, and then open the passenger side door for his lover and letting him in. Edward shut the door as Roy ran around the front of the car again and getting in. Edward smiled and softly said, "Thanks."

"Edward, you don't need to say anything, you're always welcome in my home."

_----_

**Edward's **frozen hands cupped themselves around the mug that held piping hot tea. He was leaning back on the couch alone, waiting for Roy to reappear from the kitchen. Roy's apartment was big, classy, and expensive looking, much different from the one Alphonse and he inhabited. Their apartment had three rooms, a bedroom, a main room that was attached to the kitchen, and a bathroom. Alphonse and Edward shared the one bedroom usually, which was quite stressful for Edward when Winry decided to "visit" Alphonse. Many times, he found himself sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag in the main room. Not that it was much better but…

"Feeling better yet?" Roy said with a caring smile playing on his face. He sat on the couch close to his blonde boyfriend.

"Yeah, thanks." He smiled into his cup as he took a drink from it. As he put it down, he turned to Roy, "I'm impressed, Roy, this is _tea. _That means you _made it._"

"I know how to make tea, Edward, please cut me some slack."

Edward smiled as he leaned on Roy, letting out an "ooh."

"What is it? I know I haven't changed from my uniform yet, sorry, let me go get out of--" He was cut of when Edward pulled him back on the couch as he began to sit up and head to his bedroom.

"No… you're fine. Actually, you're more than fine. You're so warm, Roy, it feels good."

Roy settled back onto the couch and put an arm around Edward's chest, letting him come closer. "Glad I could be of some assistance." He thought for a bit as the two were silent and Edward constantly took sips from his hot tea. He then remembered the question he had asked Edward out on the street. "Hey, Ed, why _were_ you walking around when it's this cold? You have a perfectly warm home."

"Ugh," Edward said after dropping the cup from his mouth. "Yeah, you could say that our apartment was pretty hot tonight. Winry showed up for the third time this week. I stayed the night while they were together last night, but it was so terrible, that as soon as she showed up tonight, I grabbed my coat and threw on some shoes and just left. It's not fair that she gets to come over all the time when they've only been together for five months." Edward noticed he was warmer, and put the cup on a coffee table. He sighed and let the story break as he let Roy and he rearrange positions so that Roy was laying down on the couch with Edward on top. Roy's back was propped up on the arm rest on the couch, letting them still sit up so that they could continue to talk. "I mean, Roy," Edward continued, "We've been together for, what, a year and a half… certainly that's grounds for you to come over."

"Ah, but Edward," Roy cut in, "You forget that neither Winry nor your Brother know that you are currently in a relationship with another male."

"Good point," Edward said, laying his head down on Roy's chest, "But you're quite the attractive male, doesn't that count for anything?"

"Well, if we're keeping score between us, then yes. Otherwise, I don't think your or my being sexy has anything to do with convincing your brother to let you let me into your bedroom."

"It sucks, though." He said, heaving a sigh, "He thinks I'm still a virgin, which I think we both know isn't true. It's not like I've not even had a sex with a girl. It's just that I do more with you. Whatever. Alphonse is stupid."

"Now, Edward, let's not talk about your brother like that." He brushed his lover's bangs from his face and then put his arm around him. "It's not his fault he doesn't know the secret life of us." He thought about his sentence. "Hmm, I don't think he even knows anything about us, but, that's because you're too much of a chicken shit to tell him."

"Roy! You know the reason I haven't told him isn't just because of what he'd do to me… it's because he would come and get you!"

"Well…" Roy said, laying his head against the arm rest, "thanks?"

"As long as I'm here with you and not at home hearing…" He made a gagging sound and then smiled. "Thanks for letting me come."

"I already said, Edward, you don't need to thank me," he smiled, but was becoming irritated with Edward, "You being here is good enough."

"Whatever. I'll remember not to thank you next time."

Roy rolled his eyes.

_----_

**After a hearty dinner** supplied by an eager Edward, Roy was pressed up against the wall when Edward decided that the hallway was a good place to begin foreplay. Roy didn't protest, but couldn't help but wonder why they couldn't take a few steps and lay down on the bed. It really didn't bother him, and he practically forgot what he was thinking when Edward's now warm lips touched his. Roy quickly put his arms around Edward, pulling him if at all closer to him. Between a kiss, Roy murmured, "I love you," into his lover's mouth. Edward giggled childishly before slipping a skillful tongue into Roy's mouth to intertwine with the other. Roy smiled, feeling exceptionally happy.

Eventually, after a heated make-out session that lasted over twenty minutes and included Roy peeling off Edward's shirt and Edward discarding the top part of Roy's uniform. When Edward pulled away from Roy, out of breath and especially eager, Roy calmed him by giving him a light kiss on his forehead and turning him around so that he could lean against his bare chest.

"Roy…" Edward said in a snide like way.

"I know _exactly_ what you're thinking." Roy smirked. "Just let me catch my breath for a second."

"Aw, but you're gonna lose your lust for me… it won't be as fun!"

"Edward, I don't think that after that sort of foreplay, my wanting you is going away anytime soon." He heaved a sigh as he slipped to the floor, pulling Edward along with him. "But, if we go right in there, I am going to die from a heart attack."

"You'd die happy, though."

Roy chuckled, "True, but I don't see you being very happy if in the middle of sex, me dropping dead. Then who would you finish with?"

Edward frowned. "That's not funny, Roy." He leaned back into him and sighed sadly, "I can't even imagine life without you."

"Aw, Edward, that's so sweet." Roy smirked, but put an arm around his lover understandably.

"Seriously though, Roy, I don't think it's possible for me to lose someone else close to me." Edward felt immensely sad as he thought about the handful of people he knew that suddenly disappeared from his sight. He grabbed an arm of Roy's and held it close and tightly to him, as if this would keep him from dying.

"Alright, Edward, I understand." He murmured in his ear softly. "I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

_----_

**Edward hugged** closer to Roy as the sweat continued to drip down their bodies. "That was great Roy." He commented, "I'm definitely not cold anymore."

Roy chuckled, looking straight up at the ceiling in the darkness. "Of course not." He smirked, "Your Fullmetal conducts my Flame just fine."

"Oh, ha ha." Edward said sarcastically. He lay his head on his lover's shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Edward." He pulled Edward closer and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "But what will Alphonse say when you show up tomorrow morning. Moreover, what will _you _say?"

"Oh, I'll come up with some bullshit, I'm sure." He smirked in the darkness, "Alphonse is so damn gullible, I'm sure he'll believe whatever the fuck comes from my mouth."

Roy laughed, "You know, Edward, I've noticed that your language becomes more and more vulgar depending on how great our sex is. It's only this bad after sex…" He turned to him, "Why is that? Is it that doing me makes you seem more tough, or what?"

"Shut up…" Edward couldn't think of something to say, and in his state of thinking, he soon noticed Roy's grip on him loosen a bit and his breathing steady. The sex was over, his lover was asleep.

_----_

**Edward awoke **to the feeling of something running through his hair. His eyelids flickered, and then opened to let sunlight in and color and images came into focus. His eyes rolled to up to see Roy casually reading a magazine while brushing through Edward's thick bangs without looking. Edward smiled. It wasn't too often that he awoke after Roy. In fact, it wasn't too often that he awoke with Roy being so nice. He was usually barking at him to go back to sleep or shut the doors or, a couple of times, to wake the fuck up.

Roy felt Edward stir and looked down on his lap to see the young boy yawn and smile at him. Edward blinked, not sure whether or not to break the silence, but Roy quickly decided that it was well worth it.

"Good morning," Roy said, placing the magazine on a table that held up a lamp and a few other assorted things, one of which included an ashtray that Edward often noticed, but never asked about--mostly because it was wiped clean and collecting dust, indicating that it's user was either long gone or done with the cigarettes he or she had been smoking.

"Good morning…" Edward trailed off, "Waitaminit, shouldn't you be at work?"

"Edward," Roy sighed, worried that that was the first thing he thought when he awoke in the morning, "It's seven in the morning. I _never ever _go to work this early."

"Oh…" Edward moved closer in to his lover, "Good."

"Hmm," Roy smiled, he would have never imagined that the grumpy, rude, scowling 12 year old that entered his office with a smirk on his face that said, "So what, you're 13 years older than me, I hate you and I'm better than you," would ever be caught in Roy's lap snuggling closer to him.

Edward rolled over and looked up at Roy. "Are you hungry?"

Roy smiled, what had happened to that boy? "Yeah," he chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Edward scowled and put a tell-me-now-or-I'll-kill-you look on his face.

This only caused Roy to laugh even harder. There was no way that that angry boy was gone. How could he love an Edward who wasn't scowling. A cuddly-all-the-time Edward just wasn't _his_ Edward, and he wouldn't have it any other way. "Nothing…"

"You're weird, now tell me." Edward's frown deepened and he looked like he was ready to scream if he didn't find out whatever Roy was thinking. He sat up and looked Roy straight in the eye. "Tell me now."

This was probably his favorite part of spending so much time with Edward, the teasing part. Though he knew it was mean, it was so fun to watch him get all worked up, and besides, when he was angry, he looked so damn adorable. "No." An infamous smirk invaded his face and Edward growled.

"No!" Edward stood up. "_Tell me_"

"It's not important that you kn--"

Unfortunately, Roy did not get to finish that sentence, since Edward tackled him and caused him to fall onto his back on the bed. Doing this only caused Roy to begin laughing as Edward lay on top of him, still angry, still with a metal fist bare, and becoming increasingly angry with each laugh that came from the raven-haired man under him.

"_TELL ME NOW, ROY!_"

Roy just kept laughing, simply because he couldn't stop to breathe and get something out of his mouth. Edward became more and more angered and steamed. Edward took his fist back to wind up, the metal giving a small 'whoosh' through the air as he aimed at Roy, who continued to laugh uncontrollably.

"Ed…wa.." Roy choked through laughs, "Edward… (laugh laugh) stop… (laugh laugh) I'm sorry…(laugh laugh)"

But this wasn't good enough for Edward, who growled as his fist peaked and began to fall towards his lover. Roy smiled, assuming that Edward wouldn't really hit him, but continued to choke out laughs. Too bad Edward wasn't pulling any punches, because the next moment, there was a fist mark on Roy's jaw. He screamed out loud, profane words fitting between high girly and angry screams. It was Edward's turn to laugh now. He fell on top of his lover with a hearty laugh and smiled at him, but this didn't work for Roy, who was now angered and in deep pain. He pushed Edward off of him and stormed out of the room. Edward whined, that wasn't the outcome he had expected.

"Roooyyyy." Edward frowned as his lover angrily walked down the hall. "ROOYYY!"

But Roy didn't come back, so Edward shrugged sadly and got out of bed himself, heading for the kitchen. His flannel pajamas swished on the ground, a little too big for his shortish legs. The shirt covering him belonged to Roy, and it had a thick smell of cologne and a smoky sort of scent. Edward took a deep sigh, the long shirt's perfume filling his nostrils. When he spotted Roy angrily walk from the bathroom, he smiled. Of course, he'd have to help him feel better. He walked up to his tense lover and jumped onto his back and lay his head on his shoulder. The man shook nervously, surprised, but hooked his arms so Edward could slip his feet through them. Edward sighed and then whispered into his ear, "I'm sorry, Roy."

Roy walked down the hall and into the front room where the previous evening had begun. He dropped Edward onto the couch, and he landed with a bounce, and then sunk into the cushions. Roy kneeled down to meet his lover's face, and Edward caught the swollen bruise in a glance. Roy smiled at Edward, causing him to let out a breath of relief. In his pause, Roy had slipped his arms around Edward and when he came back to reality, he was face to face with Roy, who was leaning into him. Edward gratefully accepted a kiss and then put his arms around Roy, giving him a tight hug.

_----_

**"Edward, what do **you do exactly when you're at home?" Roy inquired, lifting his head from the breakfast that sat in front of him.

The sudden speech startled the blonde, who looked up. He wondered where the question had even come from. "Er… when I'm at home?"

"That's what I said."

"Oh," Edward said, an embarrassed blush lightly touching his face, "Well, I guess just normal stuff. Read, alchemy stuff, maybe something more complicated now and then."

Roy rolled his eyes, _Yeah, as if _that's_ normal for a 16 year old boy._

"Why?"

"Hmm?" Roy raised an eyebrow.

"I said, _why?_" Edward jabbed his hash browns with a fork.

"Oh, I don't know. It just seems like something other than alchemy would inhabit your life."

"Something other than alchemy?" Edward repeated with a very confused look on his face. "Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Roy thought, but seriously couldn't think of anything.

"There's nothing I'd rather do than alchemy, though," Edward grinned as he took a bite of the food mashed onto his fork. Chew chew chew. Swallow. "There's nothing I could even think of doing."

"Hmm…" Roy smirked, ready for the rude, blunt thing ready to leave his mouth. "Nothing but me."

Edward blushed furiously and threw a piece of toast at Roy, but under the red was a tiny smile. Roy brushed the crumbs from his blue uniform and checked for grease stains. Fortunately, because Edward was a pretty good cook, he never slathered the toast with too much butter, so the stuff didn't come off on him. Roy took the last bite of his food and then glanced at the clock in the hall.

"It's 8:30, I should probably leave soon." Roy pushed the chair out and then walked his dish to the sink.

"Yeah," Edward blinked, he was now alone at the table. Just as he began to stand, Roy took his dish and then placed it on top of his. Edward gasped.

"What?" Roy questioned him.

"Y-you," Edward stuttered, "Y-you did something NICE for me!"

"And what exactly was last night…?"

"Oh, but this is different!"

"No, it's not…"

"It's differen-- oh, never mind." Edward stood and then pushed in his chair. Roy approached him and placed his arms on his shoulders to rest there. He kissed Edward suddenly, not giving him time to react, even though it lasted at least half a minute. Edward was still in shock when Roy walked away towards the coat rack and removed his trench coat. It wasn't until his hand was on the doorknob, (though he was taking a long time because he was waiting for Edward to come to him), that he ran to him and hugged him from behind around the waist. Roy smiled but acted surprised. "Bye." Edward said, his face against Roy's warm back.

"You're so cute."

"Don't call me cute!"

"Ok…" Roy smiled as Edward's hands unhooked and he stepped back. "But, doing that makes you more cute." Roy flashed his teeth over his shoulder to an angered Edward and then left.

_----_

**After Edward had **changed back into his clothes, folded and put away his pajamas (he figured he got more use out of them here), he embarked down the road towards his small apartment. He was so excited about what he was going to do. The way to his home was a long one, and he hadn't actually left until about noon, so he arrived at his apartment about an hour and half after he left, letting the wind whip him in the face. There was nothing that could get him down today.

When he opened the apartment door, Alphonse looked up from the chair he was reading in.

"Edward!" He looked worried. "Where did you go last night?"

Edward chuckled, knowing that basically anything he said to his brother would work. "Oh, I went to the library. I kept reading until I fell asleep. The librarian didn't care. All I have to do is flash my watch and she just smiles and tells me to come back."

Alphonse let out a sigh of relief, "Oh, good. For a second there I thought you spent the night with some floozy."

Edward smirked to himself, well… not exactly wrong. He was glad he didn't know just how close he was to the truth.

"I wish you wouldn't do that, Ed." Alphonse leaned back. "You have a perfectly good bed to sleep on here."

"Oh, right," Ed rolled his eyes, and on their way back to where they started, he spotted Winry.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Edward didn't want to show his embarrassment of constantly hearing Winry's orgasms, so he simply shot Alphonse a glare, taking a couple glances at the kitchen where Winry casually sat. Alphonse clearly caught his drift and blushed deeply. Edward decided that now was definitely a good time.

"I'll be right back."

Edward walked hastily into the bedroom and took a backpack and his suitcase from the closet. He shoved all his clothes into the bag, and all his books and other assorted items in the suitcase. He locked it shut and picked both bags up. As he headed down the hallway, Alphonse stood up upon seeing the two bags. "Edward!"

Edward simply smirked in his younger brother's direction.

"Where are you going, Edward?" This inquiry was from Winry in the other room.

"Look. Al." Edward walked towards the door. "I love you, but this isn't working If you guys wanna fuck every night, be my guest, because I'm outta here."

Alphonse blushed even deeper and an angry look accompanied his embarrassment. "But, where're you going to live?"

Edward opened the door and stood in it's doorway. "Where else? With my boyfriend."

"Your _what!_" Alphonse and Winry both had shocked looks on their face as they said this in unison.

"My boyfriend. I think you might know him," Edward was clearly milking this moment of giving his best friend and brother heart attacks, "His name is Roy Mustang." Then, leaving the two with dropped jaws, he shut the door behind him and left the small apartment for bigger and better things.

_----_

**It took Edward well over** three and a half hours to get across town with the suitcases, but he also stopped for groceries, so by the time he actually arrived at the apartment, it was after five. Normally, Roy arrived home just before five, so Edward assumed that he would be home. What Edward _didn't _count on was the fact that his lover was tired, irritated from the babbling of his subordinates, and worn out from literally dodging bullets all day. Edward knocked on the door, ready for what he thought was anything. Roy appeared in the doorway, hair a mess, still partly in uniform, with a tired look on his face like he had just gotten up.

"Oh (yawn), Edward." He ruffled his black hair, "I didn't expect to see-" His eyes were focused on the two bags. "_What are those?_"

"I'm moving in."

Silence engulfed them for a while as Edward stood there, smiling and full of hope.

"I'm sorry…_what?_"

"I'm moving in, Roy. I can't stand living with Alphonse and Winry anymore…"

"…and just who said you could live here?"

This comment caused Edward to look extremely hurt. "What?"

"Look, Edward, I love you and everything, and it's great when you come over, but I can't have you _living here_."

"Why?"

"Well, Edward, that would make us official." Roy slapped a hand over his mouth once he realized what he had said.

"S-s-s-so…" Edward was almost on the verge of tears. "You aren't _really_ my boyfriend?"

Roy heaved a sigh. "Come here." He opened his arms and let Edward hug him.

"Edward… it would be very hectic if you lived here."

Edward looked up from the embrace. "But… I'll cook for you every day."

Roy contemplated this. That was a good outcome of this predicament. Still, having him living here seemed as though it would create a problem.

"Look, I promise," Edward interrupted Roy's thoughts, "I promise if you get angry with me living here, or if I become a nuisance, I'll leave right away. But, Roy," Edward sniffled, "I love you and I can't think of anything better than living here with you."

Roy sighed again. "I love you, too Edward." He thought for a second. "But, I don't have room for another person to live here."

"Bullshit. You have at least three extra rooms. Besides, we wouldn't need an extra room."

Roy let out yet _another_ sigh. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

Edward got really excited. "So… I can stay?"

Roy nodded with a smile but felt unsure.

"Oh, Roy, I LOVE YOU!"

"Why am I so sure that this is a mistake…?"

­_----_

**Later that night, Roy** was laying in bed with the light on while Edward lay snoozing in his lap, curled up in a rather warm position. His eyes skimmed over the pages in his newspaper, but he wasn't actually reading. He couldn't stop thinking about the boy in his lap. All the newspaper said was some shit about some bout in the south. It wouldn't become anything, so it didn't really mean anything to him. Now the softly breathing blonde in his lap, that meant something to him. He smiled at him while he slept, deciding that him living here wasn't such a bad thing. He stroked his hair and said to him while he slept,

"You know Edward, I had actually planned on having you move in anyway." He clicked off the light and pulled the boy close to him, enjoying a long night's sleep.

_**Finally**__finished. This has to be one of the longest chapters I've ever done. Well… it took a couple days, but, are you proud? No, you aren't. In fact, don't be, because I want my next chapter to be longer. Now, comment, besmirches. Ok… my works just changed the word I had actually typed to that, so I'll keep it. Anyway, please review, I'll hug you and give you a doughnut._

_Turn to the next! (From Trigun) _

heartheart**cho**


	2. Problems Everywhere

Disclaimer: Still don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

**Chapter Two – Problems Everywhere**

_----_

**Edward rolled over **and let out a loud moan. This awoke Roy, who rolled over to his new house-mate. Blinking, he asked, "You okay there?" Edward just groaned again in a way that sounded similar to, "Headache." He rubbed his forehead and then sat up. "It's no big deal." He groaned again. "Probably just from the cold."

"Oh, okay." Roy collapsed the on the bed again and fell back asleep. Edward rolled his eyes and then got out of bed. He wobbled as he tried to walk across the floor. Roy lifted his head from his pillow and his eyes followed Edward across the floor. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Yeah," Edward said in a voice that sounded drunk, "I'm just a little light headed; it'll wear of when I wake up." He walked out of the room and Roy finally sat up.

"God," Roy rubbed the back of his head, "What do I have to do to get a little extra sleep?" He stumbled out of bed and in to the shower. When he came out, Edward was putting on his clothes on the other side of the bed, so Roy couldn't see his face. "Are you feeling better?" He entered the closet before he could get an answer from Edward. Edward let out a low sigh and said, "Yeah, a bit." His voice cracked.

Roy came back from the closet with a white polo hanging from one arm as he skillfully slipped his other arm into the other sleeve. "You don't sound so good, though." He walked towards him and Edward turned around as he approached. "Are you s—"

Edward frowned, "What?" He examined himself, but found nothing wrong.

"Edward, your face is really white." Roy took a seat next to the blonde, "I don't think you're fit to be up and around."

"Don't be stupid." Edward shot up, causing himself to dizzy even more. He fell back down onto the bed. "I'm fine though, Roy."

"Edward, I don't want you pushing yourself too hard." Roy had a look of concern on his face as he scooted closer to his lover. "Let me at least check your temperature." He reached his hand to touch the flesh above Edward's golden eyes, but he flinched and slapped Roy's hand away. "I'm fine. I promise," Edward said with a weak smile, "that if I feel worse, I'll just come home."

Roy smiled, forgetting for a moment that 'home' now meant 'here' for Edward. "Ok, if you really want to come in." He pushed himself from the bed, "But please be sure to bundle up enough today, it's colder today than yesterday. It may snow and I don't want you getting truly sick." He walked from the room to go down the hall. Edward let out a deep sigh and lay down on the bed. "I'm fine," he convinced himself, "I'll be just fine. Colds are no big deal." He pulled himself off the bed and walked from the room and down the hallway.

_----_

"**What does that **have to do with anything?" Roy complained about the pile of papers in front of him again. He glared at Hawkeye, who continued to put more papers onto his desk.

"Sir, the Southern office is right in the middle of the rebellions in the south, as I said before," Roy mouthed the last four words as she said them, "so," she eyed him but otherwise ignored the gesture, "they have a lot of things for you to sign because of it because there's a lot of conflict that's beginning to involve the military. Because you are a relatively important figure here in Central, you have to sign a portion of them."

"Eh… a _portion_?" Roy groaned and fell into his crossed arms on his desk. "Can't they just get along?"

"Well, I'll make sure that I'll tell the men and women fighting down there." She smirked at her own whim and then walked from the room to distribute more papers. Roy leaned back; surely there was something better he could be doing with his time. He stared at the papers for a couple minutes and then reluctantly grabbed one off the top. The pen hastily scribbled across the paper as he signed the papers without thinking. He heard a loud thump outside his door, followed by a second less audible one. Soon after, the door cracked open and a blonde braid made it's way to Roy's couch. Roy's eyes lifted slowly above the stack of papers, until they met Edward. Upon seeing him, the pen dropped from Roy's hand and he stood up fast at the sight of him. He scooted out his chair in surprised haste and walked steadily to Edward. "Edward!"

The blonde lifted his head lazily to reveal his ghost-white pale face and blood-shot eyes. "Oh, hi, Roy." He smiled weakly. He fell back against the cushions on the couch and moaned. Roy's eyes shot to the door, which was swung open. He quickly made his way to the doorway to shut and lock it, and then walked back to his lover, quickly taking a seat on the couch next to him. He once again reached for his forehead, this time touching it with success, as Edward did not hold enough strength inside of him to protest. When Roy's relatively cool hand touched the flesh on Edward's face, he flinched. "Edward, you're burning up!"

"R-roy. It's just cooooooold." He dragged his words as he tried to talk normally. "I'm fine—oh!" Edward clutched his stomach. "Owwwww!"

"Edward, you're going home," he placed his arms around him softly. "You need to sleep and get better."

He tried to push himself from the bed, "Don't be stupid," he frowned, "I'm fine."

Roy pulled him down onto his lap. "No, you're not." He smiled at him, "C'mon Edward, just come home and get some sleep." He laid his lips on Edward's, secretly hoping that doing this wouldn't make him equally sick. Edward melted into him and kissed back. When Roy pulled the boy off of him, he said, "Okay?"

Edward nodded and then wrapped his arms around Roy's neck. Roy smiled for a second, but then looked down at Edward. "Um, but Edward," Roy said while the boy continued to lock his arms around him and lay his head in his chest, "We can't exactly leave like this."

"Aw," Edward groaned, before pulling himself off of Roy, "Okay…"

He kissed his forehead to calm him, "It's alright. Once we get home, it'll be fine."

Edward moaned and then attempted to stand up, "Let's go."

_----_

**Roy hoisted Edward **up onto his waist as he weakly tried to help by grabbing his shoulders and wrapping his arms around his neck to keep himself in place. "We're almost there," Roy coaxed. He shifted the weight on his hips and then headed for the door to his home. "Can you walk?"

"Er, yeah," Edward said, unhooking his arms and preparing to get off. "I guess I can."

Roy carefully let him off and then watched him wobble a bit before regaining his balance and walking through the door that Roy had, by now, opened for him. He slowly walked in and into their room. "How long are you going to stay with me?" Edward asked in a childish, whiny tone.

Roy silently helped Edward into bed and then sat down next to him himself. "As long as you need me to," he whispered softly. He stroked his hot forehead and lay down next to him. "Heh," he whispered to himself softly, "I probably should have told someone I left."

Edward smiled into his pillow and then lifted his head a bit, "I'm sure it will be alright." He let out another moan and then put his head back down. "I'm sure it will…"

Roy lay next to him for a while until his breathing steadied. He laid there and watched him sleep, reaching out to hold him after a few minutes and whispering to himself, "I really hope you will be okay." He kissed his forehead and then pulled himself off the bed, heaving a sigh. Roy shot a glance at the clock on the wall and realized the he really did need to get back to work, as much as he really wish he didn't, he had a lot of paperwork that needed to be signed that he would stare at for a while anyway...

He looked back at Edward again, who let out a tiny snore as he rolled over in his sleep. "Should I really go back?" He asked himself aloud, "What if he wakes up and he needs me?" He sighed and then looked at the clock once more. It was only a couple of hours until he would be done anyway, and he was sure that Edward could sleep that long. He straightened out his jacket and quickly slipped from the room, hoping and praying that his sick lover would stay asleep.

_----_

**The first thing Edward recalled** upon awakening was a cool entity touching him. His eyes opened slowly and a dark haired Roy came into view. The next thing he saw was black cloth as his shirt was pulled above his eyes. "R-roy!" Edward's voice was rough and scratchy and Roy stopped for a second before completely pulling the shirt off, exposing both Edward's bare skin and automail. He shivered for a bit, his red hot skin hitting cool air.

"Are you feeling any better, Edward?" Roy hugged his body; Roy's skin was cool to the touch. "I had to go back to work, but I got some food for you to eat at some restaurant. I wouldn't dare touch that kitchen for anything but ramen or tea."

"Ugh, no," Edward moaned a bit and then returned Roy's embrace. "I feel a little better but I don't really want to eat anything. I feel nauseated, and besides, my stomach feels like it's being pushed up."

Roy raised an eyebrow, "Pushed up, eh?" He rested his head on Edward's shoulder, "I've never heard that before."

"I'm sure it's nothing," his words became clearer and clearer as he went on, but he still sounded throaty, "But more importantly, why are you stripping me?"

"Edward, Edward," Roy 'tsked,' "If I wanted to strip you, you'd be naked. I just needed to get your shirt off so I could get you warm."

"Get me warm?" Edward raised an eyebrow. "But you're cold as ice, and I'm burning up."

"Quite the contrary," Roy shifted his position to meet his lover's face, "You're freezing cold. I'm normal temperature."

"Oh," Edward hugged closer to Roy, "Well, whatever. As long as you're here I guess."

Roy smiled, liking the surprising close lovingness coming from his lover. Well, maybe this sickness wasn't such a bad thing. He flipped off the light and pulled the blanket over his lover. Another sexless night, he thought. Oh well, he kissed Edward's forehead and fell asleep quickly.

_----_

**By morning, Edward's fever** was gone. Unfortunately, he was still nauseated, not able to eat anything, and complaining of his stomach making strange movements inside of him. His head was still light, but the fever was definitely gone. Roy stayed in bed with him for a while, hoping that in doing so, he could coax him out of bed.

"Gaawwwdd," Edward complained, clutching his bare stomach. "It hurts!"

"Still not feeling any better," Roy said sleepily, as Edward's groaning had awoken him. He felt his forehead and then his upper body. "Well, you aren't as warm on the forehead, and your skin is considerably warmer; maybe I should check your temperature."

"Well, I don't feel as hot." Roy laughed at this, and Edward growled, but was too weak to protest any further. "I bet I can get up."

Roy gave a sigh of relief. Maybe he could get him into work. Hawkeye hadn't been too cheery when Roy had arrived an hour and a half after he left _without_ an Edward Elric. He tried to explain that he was unable to get out of bed, but Riza had been doubtful. Roy held his lover and whispered, "We can wait a while. We don't have to leave for a couple hours."

"Well," Edward said, accepting Roy and curling into him, "I suppose we can."

The two talked for a while, but mostly lay there. Edward smiled into his lover, feeling his warmness overcome him and making him forget his nausea and pain temporarily. After lying there for an extended amount of time, he pulled his hand from out of the covers and tipped Edward's head back, laying his lips onto Edward's for an extended, morning tasted kiss. Edward's eyes welled up for a second and one single tear snaked its way out from his eye. When Roy noticed this, he pulled away from the kiss and wiped it away with the back of his hand and then asked sternly, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Edward rolled over, sniffing for a second and then rolling back, back to normal. "I'm fine." His pride had returned and he was back to normal.

"No," Roy never fell for this, "There's something wrong."

"Actually," Edward smiled in a loving way, "Actually there isn't. I'm happy, Roy. I just don't want to imagine you gone."

Roy sat up on his elbows, "What's with all this talk of you not wanting me to leave? **I'm not going anywhere**. _I promise_. I don't know what got that idea into your head, but don't worry," he pushed Ed's bangs from his eyes, "I'm not going to leave you."

"B-but all this talk about war…" Edward looked away as he talked, "I mean, what if those rebellions turn into military involved battle? I've been reading newspapers, and I've seen that some troops have had to help."

"But that's only some, Ed," Roy tried to coax him, but his lover had a good point, "I'm sure it won't develop into anything," he lied.

"Roy, this is so similar to many other civil wars, they always start as little battles, and then the military gets involved."

"Well, Edward," Roy smiled, knowing that he couldn't convince the blonde about the war, "Even if we _do_ go off to war, and I don't know if this is any relief to you, but even if we do, you'll be coming with me. You're a soldier just like me." He wrapped his arm around Edward and pulled him back to him.

"I suppose you're right." Edward sighed, but wasn't too sure the words were true.

_----_

**Eventually, Roy and Edward** got themselves out of bed. Roy had to help Edward a little, but by the time he had walked around a bit, he felt almost normal. Roy reminded him that all he had to do was basically be there. If he walked into the office when he was supposed to and left at the correct time, he would be counted for a day. Though Edward had assured Roy that he was fine, Roy found himself asking Edward if he was okay every few minutes.

As they approached the HQ, Roy noticed that Edward was clutching his stomach endearingly, and then found himself asking again, "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Okay. Roy." Edward dropped his hands from where they had subconsciously sat, "I am fine. I was fine five minutes ago. I was fine three hours ago. **I'm. _FINE._**"

"Alright," Roy shrugged his shoulders as Edward's fingers found their way back to there original position." Roy raised an eyebrow, but knew that asking would get him nowhere.

Edward followed Roy into his office, greeted be familiar and friendly faces. Jean Havoc made his way over to Roy and Edward as they entered.

"Hey Roy," Havoc hurried the greeting and then turned to Edward, "Uh, Edward, Riza needs to see you down the hall. If you take a right it's the fifth door on the left."

"Oh no," Edward groaned, "This can't be good."

"Good luck," Roy smiled at him, giving him an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. Edward threw a smile over his shoulder and hurried out of the room. Roy gave a sigh, seeing that everything was seemingly back to normal, and then walked over to take a seat at his desk. He had somehow finished the massive stack of paperwork yesterday, and it seemed as though there was nothing for him to do. No papers to sign or work to be done as of yet, so he lazily laid back in his chair and pulled a newspaper from the desk.

"Hey, taisa, have you heard the latest about the Southern Rebellion?" Havoc spoke up from across the room, where he was pushing his cigarette in the ashtray to put it out, "It's getting even worse."

"Well, Lt. Havoc, I was about to read this newspaper," He shook the paper in his hands to show it, "but you seem to have—"

"Oh that won't tell you anything," Breda spoke up from the table, "It's just rubbish about little battles. It doesn't even tell you—"

"—The worst part." Havoc cut in. He let some suspense grow as Roy became more and more irritated. Just before he yelled out at him Havoc continued. "Three military soldiers down south that were trying to keep the battle concealed were killed, and it wasn't on accident. They're going for more."

"So what, they'll just put more southern soldiers out." Roy began to raise his paper again, not seeing the relevance in this conversation. "So I'll just go back to—"

"No, Taisa," Havoc cut in again, "this is serious."

Roy dropped the paper again, "_What?_"

"The way I see it," Havoc gave an angry frown, "the draft for us military up here and the State Alchemists will be coming in the next two weeks."

­_----_

_  
**Okay, so this one was kind of short,** but Aemi-chan told me to make it shorter. She actually wanted it to end after Edward was all mushy about the not wanting Roy to leave, but I didn't want it because it'd make the next transition weird and the updates really short. I also named this chapter specifically for the end. So… see you soon. I'm really enjoying writing this story._

_I love ya, _

_Cho _


	3. Mail

Disclaimer: If I could slay Hiromu, I would make her tell me what the HELL is going on with Riza in the manga… ok, don't own Hagaren.

**Chapter Three – Mail**

_----_

**"Lieutenant," Roy eyelids closed **until they were angry slits,"Don't say such stupid lies."

"Sir," Fuery piped up from the corner, "h-he's not lying, or even over exaggerating. I myself heard some of the higher-ups talking about this. The Fuhrer himself had even mentioned the draft."

"Are you sure?" Roy's voice was strong and stern. "There's no doubt about this?"

"Well, obviously, sir, there's no way of actually knowing, but there's a 95 chance that we will be drafted." Havoc cocked his head to one side, "But I don't understand, if you went down there and became a hero, you'd be promoted for sure."

"Let me get one thing straight, Lieutenant," Roy stood from his seat, almost glowing from anger, "I hate wars. Especially wars that mean nothing," his eyes widened, "I don't like killing people."

The whole room had cowered back a couple feet, feeling the intensity coming from the other side of the room. "Sir, I understand," Riza pushed her way into the room, "I know you don't want to kill people." Roy's eyes darted towards door, searching it's entry for another, shorter blonde. When he couldn't find him, he asked sharply, "_Where is Edward?_"

"Don't worry sir," Riza's eyes read something on the paper in front of her, "he's down the hall. I figured Havoc would tell you, and knowing you, you'd want to keep the young Elric in the dark about such matters. Besides," She dropped something on her desk, "He was in a bit of pain, so he's getting some water and then he's coming in here. I suggest you drop the matter soon."

But how could he forget something like this? Draft! The last thing he wanted right now was to go off to war, and though he couldn't admit it to his colleagues, the real reason he didn't want to go off to war was because he knew that Edward would have to follow. When the two had decided to become a 'we,' Roy had made a secret promise not to let Edward ever see a battlefield. Roy himself had been about six years older than Edward is now when he had been on the battlefield at Ishbal, if Edward went out there at 16… it could ruin him for life. Plus these pains that were effecting him would surely not be good out in the South…

…wait!

That was it! The pains… he could make them seem worse than they were. He certainly could do that if worse came to worse and the draft came. As horrible as it seemed to separate the two… it was something that needed to be done. He needed to keep Edward off the battlefield and away from war. Separation for a year or so was nothing compared to what war could do to him. It could scar him for life, or he could lose another limb, or worse, Edward dying. A chill ran down Roy's spine. That was something he didn't want to have to experience. That was something he didn't even want to think of.

But he couldn't let Edward know about this plan, if it needed to be put in motion. If word about the draft came any bigger in the slightest, he would start convincing Edward that his pains were terrible. If he could make Edward think he was in more pain, it would become more apparent around the office and he would need to be taken off the draft list. If he had to put Edward through that kind of pain, he knew the sort of look that he would get every night. As horrible as it seemed to make him feel more pain, physical and emotional, it was better than what scars the war could permanently leave on him. Yes, this was the right thing to do. He just had to keep it a secret.

The doors creaked open and then slammed to the side as an angered Edward stomped into the room, a searing frown on his face.

"Something wrong there, squirt?" Roy smirked behind his insult.

"YEAH THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG!" Edward's braid bounced as the vibrations from his exceptionally loud voice shook things around him for a couple inches, "NO WATER!"

"Edward," Roy said soothingly, "are you telling me that there's honestly no water in Central Headquarters?"

"Yeah! Hard to believe, huh!" His voice's volume lessened a bit as he cooled down a bit, "The pipes are broken… NO WATER! WAITAMINIT—" he jabbed his finger out into the air at the direction of Roy, "DID YOU JUST CALL ME SHORT!"

Roy chuckled, "That took you a while." His eyes looked over at Riza's desk, which held a couple stacks of papers that Roy hoped weren't going to travel to him. "Yeah, I did."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL—OW!" Edward clutched his stomach, "Gaaadddd!" He moaned loudly and then let out one more gasp of pain before fainting into Roy's arms.

"Edward? EDWARD?" Roy screamed at him, shaking him violently in attempt at awakening him. "Ahh, this isn't good." As Roy pulled Edward to the couch in his office, he couldn't help but wonder… was someone helping him with his plan?

_----_

**Two hours later, Edward eyelids fluttered** a few times before they cracked open. He quickly clamped them shut when light poured in and a searing pain entered his eyes. He tried at opening them again, and the pain was less. But of course, after making note that the pain from the light in his eyes was not there, a headache took it's place, and his familiar stomach aches from both nausea and the strange movements of his internal organs accompanied these. He gave a sharp cry out of pain, causing the entire room to jump.

"Edward, are you—" Roy looked up, but was cut off when Edward jumped up and fled from the room quickly. An eyebrow on his forehead raised, and he stood up from the paperwork that was, once again, getting done, thanks to some miracle, (that miracle was probably the two handguns that gleamed mysteriously bright on Riza's desk.) He walked to the door and waited for Edward to return from wherever he had run off to. When a light patter of feet became audible, Roy opened the door quickly and saw Edward come into view. His face was pale again and he looked really sick. This was deeply disturbing Roy. It was as though when he had made his plan, someone had found Edward and made him sick to make Roy's job effortless. Whatever had happened, it was keeping Roy from causing his lover more pain. When Edward reached him, he walked straight into his arms, apparently not caring if the Fuhrer himself was watching. Roy walked him in to the room and sat him on the couch. "Edward, are you okay?"

"DO I LOOK OKAY YOU BASTARD?" Edward's breath was completely revolting, and after a few seconds, he realized that he had just run off to vomit.

"Edward, you must have caught something," Roy ran through his mind the symptoms, but all he came across was a simple cold or bug. Edward had toughed his way through a bug or two before, and he had just overcome a cold, so his immune systems should be updated. No… there was something definitely something odd going on with his Edward.

"No, Roy," Edward said, "This is so odd but… I don't feel that sick really. I mean I'm a bit nauseated, and my stomach feels like _someone keeps hitting me, _but I don't feel like I've got some sort of sickness."

"Edward, you should go back to sleep. I'm sure whatever is plaguing your will go away if you just get a little rest." He helped Edward get situated again so he could sleep again. It had been a little nice having Edward sleep for the last few hours. It had definitely been quieter, that's for sure.

Edward gave in easily, feeling a tiring weakness wash over him. His eyes shut again and Roy made sure he was asleep before he got up. He pointed to his lover, "He's a handful, you know."

­_----_

**In the next week, Edward's pain **only seemed to get worse. Every morning he'd get up and go straight to the bathroom. He was never hungry, and the vomiting was apparent on his breath. Yes, indeed, Edward, on the outside, appeared sick. But every day, Edward convinced Roy that he didn't feel like he was sick, and Roy couldn't do anything but trust him, because arguing with him didn't seem to get him anywhere. A day after a week after that incident in the office, Edward looked up from the food he was carelessly picking apart on his plate. "I forgot to tell you," Edward said suddenly, interrupting the originally silent breakfast, "I forgot to tell you what Riza told me that day she took me away."

Roy looked up, astonished at the sudden speech from the otherwise silent Edward. "What was that?" He asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well, when I went to go talk to the Lieutenant last week, at first she was really pissed. She actually told me so…" he trailed off as he poked at his uneaten breakfast, "…at gunpoint. Yeah, I guess she was pretty mad. I had to really try to convince her that yesterday I was unable to come in."

"So that's what took you so long?" Was Edward lying? Of course it wouldn't take as long as it had for Edward to simply get yelled at by Hawkeye.

"No…" Edward groaned, "If you'd let me _finish_. No, the Lieutenant gave me a letter after she had cooled down. It was from Alphonse."

Roy gulped, "Al, eh? Did you read it?" Roy took a bite of his toast and waited for Edward's response.

"Yeah, it was actually pretty funny." Edward chuckled. It was the first time in days that he had done so without crying out in pain afterwards. Maybe he was getting better… "He took it too the office the day after I moved in here because he didn't know where you lived. In the letter, he tried to sound all understanding, but I could tell that he was really angry. Basically he wanted me to tell him where exactly I was living now."

"And did you tell him?" Roy took the last bite of toast.

"Um, _no,_" Edward rolled his eyes and then poked at his food a bit more before talking again, "You know how mad he is _now._ If you got involved, he'd have a new punching back _besides _me. No. I think it's best we keep Alphonse and Winry—oh especially Winry—away for a little while. I don't feel like dying right now. If I were you, I would keep my eyes open _while I sleep_ and look out for Alphonse. But luckily, I'm not you."

"How nice," Roy said as he finished his breakfast. He got up and added, "Not like I really want to be you. Let's see, sick, short-tempered, and, oh," he smirked behind the insult coming, "let's not forget short."

Edward growled, "WHY YOU!" He jumped from the chair, quickly taking note that Roy had his back to the plush carpet of the foyer. He smirked before taking a jump from where he stood and tackling his lover. Roy, who was, surprisingly enough, not expecting this, lost his balance without anytime to regain it, and toppled over, landing right where Edward had anticipated: safely on the carpet with—fortunately—no head injuries. When he had regained himself, he looked up at Edward. He smiled.

"God, I love you." Roy sounded almost dreamy, a voice Edward had never heard before. He had planned for Roy to yell at him when he had come to, but instead he was faced with this. Given that this happened, Edward was put in a predicament, a highly confusing one at that. His anger cooled into confusion-slash-endearment and he raised an eyebrow.

"Uhm, what?" Edward was still on top of Roy, straddling him in a sexual, but also menacing position.

"You heard me." Roy smiled again, the dreamy voice more apparent this time. He reached a hand out to pull Edward down on him.

Edward sighed as he found himself falling onto Roy, but then regained himself. "Of course I heard you. What I mean is, uhm…" He thought, "I mean why are you saying that, out of nowhere?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you the truth?" Roy mocked a frown, but then a smile broke through along with a laugh. "But seriously," He said after the laugh had passed, "I do Edward." He found himself wanting to say, "_Don't let them take me from you! Why must things be so cruel?_" But that would give away his whole "evil" plan.

And that was definitely not what he wanted.

"Well, I know you do," Edward fought away a blush, but it overcame him, "But I mean, why are you telling me this?"

"Because I do." Before Edward could respond again, Roy had pulled him into a kiss. Edward moaned before Roy slipped his tongue in to intertwine with an unexpecting tongue that resided in Edward's mouth. Before long, though, Edward pushed forward equally as strong in the kiss and clamped his eyes shut. He felt his shirt being unbuttoned by strong, skillful hands. Edward smiled into the kiss as his hands found there way around Roy's strong shoulders and by now both had completely forgotten the pain Edward was in earlier. Simply put, making out was a definite way to get rid of Edward's pain, but the two had practically no way to find their way into the bedroom without Edward passing out on Roy's chest just before he could even give him a good night kiss.

No, the floor was just fine.

Roy's hands had done away with the white polo that Edward had, once again, borrowed from Roy, they went down to reach for his pants. Edward growled, smacking Roy's hands away from his hips and Roy simple shrugged, not wanting to interrupt the deep kisses that Edward was helping him supply.

No, Edward was the one to interrupt their mouth-to-mouth by breaking away and going for Roy's neck, pulling down his collar hurriedly with his hands. Expert teeth began biting softly at Roy's skin, and he winced a bit before becoming used it the light pain. After a series of sucking and biting, Edward pulled away to admire his work.

A perfectly blue, purple, and red hickey formed at the side of Roy's slightly pale neck. Edward smiled.

"Edward, please tell me that you didn't give me a hickey on purpose." Roy strained his eyes to try to see where Edward had just left him for, but the bruise was hidden.

"Of course I did," Ed boasted, as if he was a child with macaroni art. "That was for calling me short."

Roy sat up to face is lover, kissing him and then pulling him into an embrace. Edward rested his head on Roy's shoulder, and, as the make-out session was over, his pain was beginning to return. He let out a small gasp of pain. Roy sighed, "We need to get you an appointment with a doctor. I'll call one at work today, okay?"

Edward, still dazed from the minutes before, simply said, "Yeah," before nuzzling further into Roy's neck.

Roy pulled him closer before whispering as softly as possible so Edward could not hear, "I need this. Please don't take me from him."

_----_

"**So, boss," Havoc asked of Roy **when he arrived in his office late, "what kept you—"he took a look at his watch, "—an hour?"

Roy smiled as he sort of cocked his head to one side. "A well needed break with Edward."

"Sir," Riza spoke up from behind him, causing Roy to jump in fright, "that is highly inappropriate and irresponsible. Isn't he ill anyway?"

"Believe me, Lieutenant," Roy said, as he regained his wits and brushed off his sleeves, "Edward needed this more than I did." He couldn't believe that he was sitting here in Central HQ explaining why Edward and he were making out earlier.

"Oh," Riza said, causally reaching up for Roy's collar and ripping it down, "then I suppose that this was vital for Edward getting better."

Roy growled and stepped back, fixing his collar back up so that it was covering the now rather large hickey only slightly. He mumbled, "That was my fault, I suppose."

"Well," Havoc cut in, saving Roy. He'd have to remember to be nice to him for that. "Well, all jokes aside, it seems that I was right."

Riza didn't exactly look like she was joking, but Roy took this as an opportunity to get far, _far_ away from her. He approached Jean Havoc and asked him, "Right about what?"

"The war."

Roy caught his breath. "What do you mean?" He tried to keep his voice calm and normal, but found it extremely difficult.

"The East HQ has gotten their soldiers drafted." Havoc lighted a cig and then stuck it in his mouth, "It seems as though us northerners are needed down there."

Roy shook a little bit, partly from anger—anger at how _just this morning_ he had plead for him not to be taken from Edward—and confusion from how this stupid little rebellion could be developing so quickly.

"Uh, Colonel," Havoc looked up from his cigarette, "You okay there?"

Roy shook off the feeling and took his cool charm back, "Of course. Thank you for telling me this." He headed for his desk and took a seat. A few minutes later, he remembered that he had promised Edward that he'd call a doctor. Though this would hurt his plan a little, if the draft was coming, it was coming soon. He's schedule the appointment as late as would seem normal. Any medicine that Edward was given wouldn't kick in for a few days.

He had to be very careful, because as this war became very real, so did the draft.

_----_

**Lately, Edward had found himself** becoming very bored at home. He had no reason to go to the HQ but it would beat being here. Unfortunately, Roy had told him that he needed to stay home because going there would only make him worse than he already felt. It was strange how when he had said that, Ed had felt in a lot more pain than he seemed to be experiencing now.

He found himself sleeping often, which passed the time the best. Alchemy study made his stomach hurt, strange enough as it sounded, it made his internal organs seem to move more than they already were.

So he slept. Or read. Roy seemed to have quite the library, so reading was a lot more exciting than it was at he and Al's apartment. Roy had ordered him—literally ordered—to eat something, so there was a period in the day where he would take a piece of fruit, cut it, stare at it, cut it further, stare at it, and then shove a few pieces down his throat before he could think twice. Time to time, eating made him feel a little better, but usually, a few minutes later, he was leaving the bathroom—sometimes he didn't make it there—with a sick taste in his mouth.

That particular day, he was reading a new book in Roy's apartment with a pillow behind his head when he heard the front door slam shut. Not wanting to get up from his comfortable position in Roy's library, he just continued reading silently to himself. His eyes glided across the pages and he forgot that the door opened and that someone may have entered their home.

"Edward, are you home?" The voice grew louder as footsteps came down the hall. Roy caught the vivid blonde braid on the dull green couch and he walked into the library. He walked towards where Edward lay and kneeled next to him. "Are you feeling better?"

Edward shrugged behind his book, finished his sentence, and then closed the book slowly. "I ate today and I felt better. For the first time I didn't throw up." He smiled, almost proud of himself, and then reached for Roy's collar, wanting, once again, to admire his wonderful hickey.

"Oh, thanks _so much _for this wonderful mark." Roy groaned as he rested his head on Ed's stomach, "Riza nearly killed me."

"Well, that's you're punishment. Besides," He said as he laid a hand on Roy's head to comfort him, "I had to mark you as mine."

"Sure," Roy smiled at the sentiment, "I don't think I'm going to get away with anyone else with this mark, that's for sure. Oh, I called the doctor's office. Your appointment is at the beginning of next week."

"Oh, how wonderful," Edward growled, "I just _love_ the doctor."

"Well, Edward, you'll _love_ the doctor when he fixes whatever's wrong with you."

"Yeah, well, as long—"He was cut off when the doorbell interrupted them in the other room. Roy stood up.

"I'll get it; it's probably just the mail." He rushed from the room and down the hall. "I was right!" He called. Edward chuckled before getting up to join his lover and begin to prepare their dinner.

Roy skimmed over the endless offers for some strange product that he seriously couldn't see himself using. He saw one letter that stopped his heart for a second. A cream colored envelope with blue and gold writing and trim that made his hands tremble as he dropped the rest of the mail. "No, no, no, not now." His eyes began to sting as he read the return address, **Central Head Quarters**. He hoped and prayed that it was simply a bill for something or, or, there was nothing he could truly think of. He ripped open the envelope slowly, afraid of its contents, as if they would jump out at him.

Roy knew what was inside once he saw the heavy printed paper, one he had remembered from way back. His eyes wetted a bit as he unfolded the paper and read the first line, his worst horror coming true. He didn't need to read any more after that bold line. As Edward came into the room with a hopeful smile on his face, the letter dropped from Roy's hands and he fell to his knees. It was amazing that one line could completely and totally break down someone as strong as Roy Mustang. But, if you knew who Roy Mustang was, then you would know why he was torn. The one line read loud and clear:

"**ROY MUSTANG, FLAME ALCHEMIST, THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MILITARIES CALL YOU FOR DUTY IN WAR."**

_----_

_**A/N: Like the ending?** Don't lie. You're on the edge of your chair. My heart was pounding when I wrote those last paragraphs. I can't even imagine how terrible that would be, so sorry if the next chapters aren't quite emotional enough, or maybe too emotional. Yeah, I know that Roy was kind of emotional in this chapter, but please remember that he has knowledge that he could be leaving the one man he loves… possibly never see him again. Then you'll understand. Okay, sorry about my mindless chatter. I have to go to bed because I'm keeping my parents waiting._

_I LOVE YOU PEOPLE WHO ARE READING! I'll respond to your reviews in the next chapter, **I PROMISE. **If I had more time I'd do it now… Please Review!_

_Love you all,_

_**CHOJIKAI INJI ARAWASU**_


	4. One Last Kiss

Disclaimer: Good news! I don't own Hagaren still. Go me!

**Chapter Four—One Last Kiss**

_----_

**Edward walked into the room with a **happy, goofy looking smile on his face as Roy dropped the letter in his hand. He was just about to ask what was wrong when, with a loud thud, Roy fell to his knees himself. Instead of words, Edward simply rushed up to Roy and kneeled down to meet his face.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" His knees brushed against Roy's, causing the mail that Roy had carelessly dropped in his shock to fly in different directions. Roy didn't respond, he just sort of stared off, so Edward decided to find out for himself. He turned around and spotted the cream-colored, heavy looking paper. As he reached for it, Roy tried to speak up and stop him, but found that there was nothing coming out of his mouth. Instead, he just waited for the moment when Edward, too, broke down. He grasped the paper in his fingertips and asked aloud, "What's this?" He was totally oblivious to the war, so this would come as a complete surprise. Roy had no idea how he would react, but, he didn't feel like he could move and take it from him. Edward flipped the paper over and read the whole thing. It took him longer than it normally would, and Roy couldn't seem to figure out why. Maybe he had read it several times to make sure it was true. Whatever the case, after he had seemed to finish, he calmly placed it back on the ground and went to where the rest of the mail and whooshed off to.

Edward's fingers pushed through the mail on the floor. He tried to find _something_. Roy watched him with a feeling in his heart like it was compressing. Edward went through the five envelopes again. And again. Every time his fingers peeled through the envelopes, he accelerated, the frown on his face deepening. After what seemed like the twentieth time of going through Roy's mail, he snapped his head back to Roy, "Where's mine?"

Roy didn't answer; he just gave Edward an apologetic look. Edward's face screwed up in anger, and asked again, "Roy, where is my draft letter?" His voice was on the edge of yelling and he said, "What did you do with it!"

Roy's lips parted so he could tell him. Tell him about the plan that had been conducted over the last week, but words would not come out.

"Tell me, damn it!" Edward grabbed Roy's shoulders and shook him until he gave in and whispered softly.

"I'm sorry Edward, there's no draft letter here." His eyes were low to the ground as if he were ashamed.

"Oh! Wait!" Edward began to stand up, "They wouldn't know I was here, it must be at my old pla—"

Roy pulled him back down onto the ground with a strong pull. "No, Edward. There isn't a letter there. There isn't one here. There won't be one anywhere, because…because…"

Edward's eyes shifted to his lover with an angry glare, "Because…what?"

"Because, I made it so you wouldn't have to go to war. I amplified your sickness outwardly to the HQ and officers so your name would be taken off the draft list." Roy's eyes remained fixated on the floor, "Believe me, Edward, I didn't want to do this but it—"

"—if you didn't want to do it then why—"

"—IT WAS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!" Roy grabbed Edward's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "I will _not _allow you to go onto the battlefield! Look what it did to me! I'm not about to do the same thing to you!"

"I can handle it, Roy!" Edward looked determined, eyes fixed on the raven ones across from him.

"That's what I thought, Edward, but there's no way of knowing what you'll see. It's terrible, war, so I'm not going to put you through it. Why do you want to go off and be a soldier anyway?" Roy's grip was tight on Edward's shoulders as he tried to keep him still.

"Because… I don't want to be alone." His voice was tiny.

"Edward, I will not have you in war in any situation that could get you killed. You won't be alone, you have Alphonse and Winry."

"You know that's not what I mean." Edward's frown deepened in a sad like way. "Of course I have Al. Winry's a great friend. But you," Edward struggled out of Roy's grip and into his chest, "you're you."

Roy, arms outstretched from the surprise that lingered after Edward's sudden emotion, was deep in shock. What was with him these days? One minute he was bashing his head in, the next he was repeating, "I love you" and smothering him with loving adoration. After his shock passed, he put his arms around Edward in a tight embrace. Edward was practically sitting in his lap and his breathing was short and uneven.

"D-don't l-l-leave m-me." His voice was muffled from his head being in Roy's chest, but his words were short and shaky. Roy felt something wet come in contact with his skin and he put all these things together. Was Edward, was he…no way, he wasn't…

"Edward, are you crying?" He pulled Edward from his chest and his question was answered. His face was tear stained and the salty tears kept rolling down his red-tinted face. Roy frowned and took his sleeve to wipe away tears that didn't seem to stop.

"W-what's w-wrong with me?" Edward's choked, "I've never been this emotional before this month! I-I've felt s-so off."

"Edward," Roy whispered softly, comfortingly, and soothingly. He pulled him back into his chest, lying back on the wooden floor. "Edward, I don't want to leave you. I don't want to go off to war. You know how much it hurts me to have to go off to war alone, or how much it's killed me to put you through more pain this last week? It's for your own good." He tightened his grip on the boy lying on top of him, "I need you to miss out on this part of my life. I don't want you to die, Edward. I'm not going to let you leave me for good."

"I understand, I think," Edward gasped for air as his tears begin to slow. "I just don't want you to die, either."

"I won't."

"But that's not good enough, you can't just keep yourself—"

"Edward," He looked him straight in the eye, "I won't die."

Edward's head rested on Roy's chest. "I hope you mean it."

_----_

**The next few days were highly unsettling for Roy** as he was always at Central HQ. He usually arrived home at eleven or midnight—when Edward was already passed out—and then had to go back in at nine. The time between at home were spent wisely. Reading over fine print so that he could get out of the war as fast as possible, reading lots of alchemy books, watching Edward with his precious hours, even though he hadn't seen him awake but twenty minutes in all. In the end, it didn't seem as though Edward was getting any better, or that his stomach pains were lessening. He sweated and talked in sleep often, as well. Roy reminded himself that he would be going to the doctor in a day or so, and he couldn't be drafted now.

Meanwhile, Edward found himself utterly alone in the daytime and struggling to stay awake in the nighttime to see Roy. Unfortunately, his pain wore him out quite a bit, so he was asleep by the time nighttime usually fell. During the lonely days, he would try to go one as he had been before, but now that he had knowledge of the draft, and certainty that Roy was leaving him here; his mind could only focus on the bad things. His eyes scanned the pages of the books Roy was constantly bringing him home, but his mind often drifted off to thoughts that kept him from focusing. He often thought of the worst things that could happen, usually Roy dying on the battlefield, and no one noticing; Roy disappearing.

He kept pushing out the thoughts in his brain but they somehow found their way back in.

_----_

"**Edward?"** Roy shouted through the open door. "Edward are you home?" It was a stupid question; where would he go? He asked anyway. It was comforting to hear the words.

"Yeah, I'm in the library!" Edward's now clearing voice shouted from down the hall. "Wait, Roy, is that you!" Roy heard feet shuffle in the background and then saw Edward come walking quickly down the hall. "What are you doing home?"

"Er," _They let me off early because this is my last day in town, _"I got off early today because I finished my paperwork." _I needed to see you one last time_. Why couldn't he just say it? _I need you, make me stay_. Why was it so hard?

"Oh, really," Edward cocked his head to the side, not really convinced. "Well, um, good jo—"

Roy pulled him up to his lips and kissed him hard on the lips. His hand dropped the things he was holding in it and with both arms he pulled him close. Edward flushed as he pulled away. "Roy!"

"Edward, don't talk." Roy stumbled over his words, "This is my last day."

Edward had struggled out of Roy's grip by now and was looking at him with a heartbroken look on his face. "W-what?"

"Tomorrow afternoon I leave." Roy sighed and fell back on the floor with a sad look on his face. "I know it's sudden, but I did the best I could."

"No no no no no no." Edward shook his head, "You can't leave me this soon. I won't let you!"

"Edward! Stop!" Roy shouted at the already troubled boy, but then softened his look. "Please don't talk like that on our last day. I already feel terrible, can't we be happy for one day?"

Edward collapsed on the floor and Roy reached out for him. Edward's body shook as he crawled into him. "I'm sorry," Edward shook his head, "I just don't want you to go."

"Edward, do you think I want to leave either?" Roy held him close, "I have to, I'm sorry. We've already gone over this."

"I know, just—"

"Shh," Roy lightly kissed Edward on the lips, much softer than before. Edward moaned as they shared their last night together. _Why did it have to be the last night? _Edward felt those tears come back up. _Why?_

_----_

**Roy's hands gripped Edward's **shoulders and looked him in the eye with a smile. "You have your doctor's appointment today." The sun had hardly risen as they finished up Roy's packing. "You can finally find out what's wrong with you."

"But, Roy, I don't even feel sick anymore," Edward groaned, possible forgetting that Roy was leaving today, "I don't need to go there anymore."

"Edward," Roy repeated, "You need to go in case the symptoms return. Besides, it'd be rude just to skip. This doctor is a personal friend of mine."

"Oh, whatever. If your friends are anything like you, my rudeness would be peanuts compared to them."

"Ooh," Roy smiled softly, "That hurt."

"C'mon let's finish."

"Anyway," Roy continued, "Lt. Hawkeye will be taking you, because she's leaving next week, so please don't do anything to get shot."

Edward nodded obediently and said, "I wish you could go with me. I'd feel much more comfortable."

"I wish I could go to, but I can't because—"

"I know."

"Right." Roy bit his lip, wishing he hadn't even brought up the subject.

"Roy," Edward said suddenly, interrupting Roy's guilt-filled thoughts. "Thank you."

"Um, for what?"

"For doing what you did for me, y'know, the whole no draft thing." Edward kind of smiled as a blushed surfaced. "I understand why you did it now."

"Oh," Roy said softly, "No problem, I guess."

"It must be just as terrible for you to be leaving me, and I didn't even think of that. I'm sorry."

"No. Don't apologize, I did something sneaky and anyone would have reacted like you did."

This comment only made Edward emotional. "Why do you have to be like that? So understanding?" Edward's eyes dropped to the floor, "It's making me miss you even more."

"Edward," Roy said sternly, putting out a hand to lift Edward's chin, "I'm coming back. Don't forget that."

"I know that's what you've told me," Edward said softly, "But how can I believe it when I'm so sure it's a lie?"

_----_

**Edward's body shook in the cold, **but not from temperature. His emotions were overtaking him as he stood at the front door of Roy's apartment, eyes darting between his lover and his baggage. Why did it feel like this was the last time he would look into such enticing black eyes? It seemed like Roy was already a ghost as his warm hands found their way down his shoulders, waist and onto his hips. When Edward's body touched Roy's, his eyes watered and tears poured down his cheeks. Lips met and they found each other in one last kiss. Edward's eyes opened a few minutes later to find that Roy had already left. He was already down the steps and he was getting into his car. Before he stepped in, he looked up at Edward.

"Edward!" He called as loud as he could. "I'm coming back! Don't forget that! I love you and I'm coming back!"

The tears poured out as if they would never start as he nodded and yelled back at the top of his lungs, "I love you, too!" He gulped and then said, "I'll wait as long as it takes!"

But Roy was already in the car after that 'I love you.' He was driving away. Edward's tear-drenched eyes were locked on the horizon where Roy had driven off to for a full hour until his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. It wasn't until two hours later when Riza showed up that he was able to even get up.

_**Okay, **I know, it's sad. It's also short, but guess what, when you play volleyball and trumpet and piano all on the same night, I'd like to see you write long chapters. Okay, so you could, but whatever. Anyway… Part I is over. Didn't know there were parts? Hah! Part II is basically with Roy gone and then Part III will be with him back. Hah. Take that! Ok, now that I have the time, I will respond to the reviews. Before I do, I would like to **THANK ALL MY READERS!** You guys have been awesome! Thanks!_

Cathelina – Uhm, you shouldn't kill me… cuz there would be no new chapters!

Mariks-Gurl21 – Yes yes, it's terrible, but believe me, in the end, it's cute. 3

xDarkxMousyx – Of course, everyone is enticed, apparently.

Aemi 333 (I heart you) – Uhm, you are the craziest post probably. Of course, you're Aemi, so it's okay, but… how can I respond to your review… WITH LYRICS

"Don't say I'm afraid of loving you

You're everything I wanted to." – Afraid of Loving You by Devics

Shingo-kohai (yah, like you're my sama) – Okay, so yeah. I love Roy.

AnimeDutchess – You seem to like my fics a lot. Thanks for reading most(all?) of them. If the suspense killed you, I would bring you back to life as a homunculus… whichever you choose.

Van Helsing Girl – Aw, I'm sorry it wasn't nice. Let me give you a cookie.

Animelovernumber1 – Uhm, I'll keep writing?

A.O.T.I.F. – Ooh, I hope you didn't get mad. That would make me sad o

Inuyasha-Oddishness – If Roy were here and I could control him leaving, I wouldn't. Why? One word. Fangirl.

Me and My God Complex – Do any of us understand how males get pregnant? No, because it doesn't happen xD

AlchemistFlame – Aw thanks, it's nice to know that you like my writing.

Loveless Aibou – xDD Roy-boy? xDDD

thoughtless dreamer – Yes! I was right! What's that on the scoreboard? Cho : 3!

Katiea-chan – Heh. Eddy.

Goddess of Silver Moon – Ok. 'fore I say anything. Long-ass name there. If you liked the first part, Part II will be horray 3.

_If I missed someone or something, sorry. This was only chapter 3 reviews, so… yeah. Review in chapter 4 if you want me to say something xD If you keep reviewing, I guarantee that you'll get your name on my story… as if that's a big deal (yeah, it is, cuz I'm super awesome)._

_Thanks for reading, See you in Part II,_

_**Chojikai Inji Arawasu.**_


	5. Stunning Surprise

**Part II**

**We are the Waiting**

Disclaimer: Uhm. No. I don't own Hagaren.

_A/N: Before I start, let me just apologize for not exactly announcing Part I before now. I read the book Uglies and then decided that Parts were cool. "I want one!" I recall saying, and coincidently did, in fact get one. Actually, three, you lucky bastards. I love Parts. They're lyk yay. Ok._

**Chapter Five—A Stunning Surpise**

_----_

**"…d…war…d…" **The soft voice cut through the haze that had settled around Edward. He blinked, but the fog remained.

"…Ed…wa…" His eyes blinked again and then searched for where the voice was coming from. The smoke-like haze was thick and he couldn't see anything. He hugged his knees even further into his chest. The voice came again.

"…Edward…" The voice was calling for him; he turned his head and realized that the voice was coming from his right above him. The figure was barely visible and he squinted to try to see it better.

"Edward?" Riza called to Edward, who was sitting on the ground, knees to chest, squinting in her direction as if she were far away. There was worry in her voice and expression. "Edward, you need to get up. You have a doctor's appointment and I'm taking you to it." She reached out a hand and touched his shoulder, causing him to flinch and then struggle violently until he landed with his back on the pavement. He shook his head.

"Lieutenant?" He blinked a few times and then shook his head once more. "What are…" he mumbled, "Oh…right." He pushed himself from the ground. "Doctor's appointment; I completely forgot." He got up off the ground and brushed himself off. "It hasn't already been that long has it, though?"

Riza was puzzled, "Um, yes. But, Edward, are you okay? You were just on the ground."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I guess." He cocked his head to the side, "What time is it?"

"U-um, four-thirty." She was still unsure about what had just happened.

"Oh, wow! I was sitting here a long time." He stood there for a while, thinking, and then a sad look covered his face and he slumped over the railing by the stairs. "Oh, yeah," he whispered, "Roy's gone."

Riza walked to him and put a hand on his back. "Edward, don't worry, he'll be back."

"Yeah, yeah, that's what I've heard." He heaved a heavy sigh and then stood up, "Well, I guess we'd better get this over with."

"Oh, right." She smiled at his ability to jump back, his strength that reminded her of a certain raven-haired alchemist. "Let's go."

_----_

**The smell of the doctor's office made Edward's **stomach squirm. He made a sick face as the Lieutenant led him into the room.

"Edward," she said over her back, "it's going to make you feel better, just get over the smell." Her voice was stern and almost motherly, the Hawkeye he was used to. He sucked it up and soon the smell no longer bothered him.

He took a seat in one of the uncomfortably clean looking chairs as Hawkeye checked him in. He had never looked forward to doctor's appointments. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to be stuck with a needle. His stomach flopped. Joy. Riza took a seat next to him, pulling a magazine out. He looked at her as she read, a question rolling around his head. She noticed him and looked over.

"May I help you?" She put the magazine down folded over to her page.

Edward flushed, "Well, actually, yeah." His eyes wandered to the floor. "Did you, um," he mumbled, "um, know about what Roy was doing," he choked at Roy's name, "To me?"

Riza sighed softly and said, "He wasn't doing it _to _you, Edward. It was only to help you. Yes, I knew he was trying to get you off the draft. I helped him."

Edward's heart panged. He felt so alone because he had been left out of this decision. Alphonse and Winry—did they keep secrets from each other? Roy seemed so mysterious sometimes. He found weird things in his house all the time. Locked boxes that held heavy things, and that ashtray—what was that about? Was he seeing someone who was a smoker? Edward didn't smoke, that's for sure, and he was pretty sure that Roy didn't…

…only…

…only sometimes Roy smelled like cigarette smoke. This was all so confusing for Edward and he couldn't help but feel emotional. By this time Riza had looked down. Roy was always flirting, too. What if he found someone in the south and forgot about Edward? It didn't seem unlikely that he would be having sex with all kinds of girls. He couldn't get caught. But was Roy really that unloyal? He told him that he loved him so often, that he needed him, that he was his. What if Roy just forgot hi—

"Edward Elric?" A voice interrupted his thoughts from the front of the room and he looked up. A tear was sneaking its way down his face. How could he not notice that he crying? He quickly ran his sleeve along his eyes to dry them before getting up to go through the door into the doctor's room.

_----_

**"Alright, Edward, thank you for being so cooperative." **The doctor simpered before going on, "We have to run some tests on the samples you gave us, but I need to ask you some questions before I can confirm anything. Is that okay?"

"Yes," Edward said, but then added, "Are you with the military?"

The doctor stared, _what a question._ "Er, no. I'm a home doctor and—"

"—and you're a friend of Colonel Mustang's?" Edward interrupted. If he was going to be asked questions about his health, he needed to know if he could trust this man.

"Yes…" he answered slowly, an eyebrow raised. "Yes, he's a close friend of mine."

"Good," Edward smiled softly, that made him feel a lot more comfortable. "Please, go on."

"Thank you, Edward. I understand that you need to feel secure. Roy did tell me that you were, in fact, his lover."

Edward's eyes widened with shock. Another secret! Roy told his friends about he and Edward? "O-oh, okay." He let out a little sigh; at least he wouldn't have to explain anything.

"Then let's begin." He pulled up a clipboard and rolled his chair across the tiled floor to get a pen before rolling back. "Ok, so you're name is Edward Elric," he mumbled to himself, scribbling on the paper. "Fullmetal Alchemist, I hear?"

Edward nodded curtly.

"Hmm, very impressive, young man."

Edward scowled, he hated when people called him that.

"Ok, any alchemic experiments out of the ordinary these days?" He looked up to listen.

Edward thought; it had been a while since he'd been able to do alchemy without his stomach causing him to writhe in pain. A light bulb went off, "Yes."

"Care to explain?"

"Well," he thought a bit, "Just some new arrays. It was a safer variation on human transmutation. I also was studying childbirth to see any connections between the two. If humans can create life without alchemy, surely there's a way to do it with alchemy." He thought, "It wasn't very successful."

"Did you _use_ these arrays?"

"I didn't myself," he remembered back to the night. It was the week he moved in with Roy. His stomach took another flip at the thought of Roy. It hurt to think that that was just weeks ago. "No, my brother did. He said nothing happened."

"Your brother?"

"Alphonse Elric."

"Ahh," He scribbled for a while and then looked up. "You're 16?"

"17."

"Oh, right." He scratched and then scribbled. He was silent for a while as he would occasionally pause take a look up at Edward, the clock, the door, and then back down. In a bit he looked back up for good.

"Ok, I'm going to go check on those tests on your samples. If needed, I'll send a nurse back in with more questions, or I might come in and ask some myself. In the meantime," He pointed to the wall, where an uncomfortable piece of blue cloth hung, "Please change into that."

"Only that!"

"Yes, sir, and please," he said in a calm monotone, "keep your voice down."

Edward groaned and fell back against the paper that was over the bed in which he sat upon, making a loud, unsettling crinkling noise.

_----_

**Once Edward had actually mustered **the confidence and strength to strip and cover himself with the heavy blue gown, it was nearly ten minutes after the doctor left. Even though no one was there to witness it, Edward's face was dusted with a light red causing his blonde hair to stand out. He growled as he took a seat back onto the bed. "What could _possibly _be taking this long?"

He kicked his feet of the edge for a couple of minutes before he stood up and walked to the door to see if he could catch the conversation taking place outside of the door.

"…it doesn't make any sense, Doctor." It was a young woman's voice.

"Well… he is an alchemist."

"Yes, but he's … he." The words were muffled and he wasn't even sure if they were talking about him.

"…maybe… Roy said he was." Now sentences weren't very audible at all. Maybe they turned from the door.

"…isn't the most… source." Well, they were probably talking about Edward.

"…better go ask some… questions." The voice became a bit louder and clearer. Edward shuffled over to the bed and sat as the door opened slowly and the doctor returned. He turned to him with a fake looking smile on his face. "Ok, Edward, I have a few more questions for you. They will be a bit more… how should I put this, personal. So it may be a little uncomfortable for you to answer them, but I'm going to need you to answer them, okay?"

Edward raised an eyebrow but nodded shortly.

"Ok, question one." He cleared his throat, glanced at the clipboard, and then looked up. "Have you and Roy Mustang had sex?"

Edward choked on the air. "W-what!"

"I told you they'd be a little personal, please just answer—"

"A **_little_**!" Edward's eyes narrowed on the doctor, "that was over the top!"

"Mr. Elric, I need you to answer these questions so I can confirm your condition." His voice was stern and a bit angry, "So just answer."

Edward blushed heavily and his head was toward the floor. He nodded fast and many times.

"Ok, thank you," he smiled and wrote something down. How could he be taking this so calmly? It wasn't every day…well… you know. "Question two. Do you or Roy use protection?"

"Erm…" Edward's voice was low and barely audible. "Um…no."

"Ah, of course," he wrote something down again.

"Of course?" Edward was now blushing and furious. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, no offense to you Edward," his voice was still calm, "Roy just never struck me as the responsible."

Edward growled low before standing up in anger. "**Don't. Say. Bad. Things. About. Roy.**" His eyebrows were in a wonderfully angry 'V' shape on his forehead.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The doctor's voice was soothing as he furrowed his brow and tried to calm Edward. "I didn't realize you were so close to him."

Edward wanted to say, _He's gone and we aren't close at all_, but didn't feel like giving away his utmost feelings away to a man who was simply a friend of Roy's. His stomach wrenched again. How long would it be before just the thought of Roy's name could occur without giving him an ulcer?

"Ok, question three. How often would you say you have sex?" His voice remained in cool monotone. Edward was still puzzled at his ability it keep his cool… it reminded him of someone…

"Er…" still the brilliant red-going-pink color, Edward mumbled his answer, "Maybe, four, five times a week at most."

The doctor's eyes widened. "Even as of late, when you were ill?"

"No… no now that you mention it," this conversation was eerily becoming increasingly easier, "We haven't actually in," he counted his fingers, "Three weeks." _Since the day before I moved in. _Something went off in his head. _How could I be so stupid? We hadn't had sex in so long… he probably doesn't even remember me. What if he _does_ leave me?_

"Ah, well that's comforting. Still, four or five. To be young…"

Edward smirked, his sex life was better than that of a legal adult. What an accomplishment.

"One last question," The doctor clicked his pen closed. "Is it true that Roy is gone? Off to war, I mean."

Edward's head split and his heart stopped. "What?"

"Oh, I see." He studied the look on Edward's face. "Then I understand. Unfortunately, though, the news, if I'm right, might not be as easy to cope with."

Edward choked again. What could possibly be so unsettling?

"Would you like the woman that brought you here to come in with you?"

Edward thought, Hawkeye? Probably not. She might not want to hear anything about him. But when he thought about it, he remembered before in front of Roy's apartment. She had been so caring. What if the news was a little… troubling? He thought a bit more and then answered, "Yes."

"Then I will go get her. I need to run about two or three more tests and then I can confirm your condition." He smiled the fake smile again and then left the room.

A few minutes later Riza walked calmly into the room with an unreadable look on her face. She took a seat and began reading a book. A couple of seconds later, she asked from in her book, "Are you alright?"

Edward blushed a little, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

She looked up with a tiny smirk on her face, "Because it's not often I get to treat you like a child."

Edward flushed further, "I'm _not_ a child! I just thought I might… you know… need a little support." His voice decrescendo as he finished.

"Well, I'll be here. I'm sure it's not that terrible, Edward."

"That's not how _he _made it sound." Edward scoffed and kicked his legs as Riza turned her attention back to her literature.

_----_

**"Okay, Edward, before I tell you** what is about to be said, just let me tell you something," The look on the doctor's face was so serious, it was literally scaring Edward. "This news is something I've never been faced with before. In other words, it's going to be very hard for me to say this, and it may be hard for you to take in. If you can be an alchemist about it, though, then I bet you can take it better than a normal person—"

Riza laughed under breath at this.

"—So Edward, are you ready?"

Edward shrugged nervously.

"Ok, Edward Elric…" he took a deep breath.

Silence.

"C'mon, Doc, it can't be _that_ bad—"

"—You are pregnant."

Edward blinked.

And then fell over forward onto the smooth, hard, tile floor.

_A/N: Okay, so I figured after the last sad ending, a fun happy one would be nice. Nice speedy update. It's amazing I know. I'm particularly amazed myself, but it's just making me have higher expectations of myself. Same to you I suppose. My eyes hurt from staring at the screen for the last three hours. Ow. Now… I would like to thank one of my favorite readers. Who? AnimeDutchess. She is cool, cause she has read and reviewed a lot of my work. Thank you _

_Okay, I need to nourish myself with food. Hope you enjoyed this._

_Love 333,_

_Chojikai-Inji_


	6. Visions in a Dream

Disclaimer: I own a lot of Fullmetal Alchemist Stuff… but Fullmetal Alchemist itself? No. Sorry. Not yet. Ever? Probably not.

**Chapter Six – Visions in a Dream**

—xx—

**Edward was flying**. Drifting softly above silver-lined clouds. It was bliss. The skies were a light deep blue and the ground below him was dozens, maybe hundreds of feet down. His eyes flashed ahead, and there was a dark blue thing coming at him fast. He squinted to make it out, but it remained blue. Not blue like sky, a darker shade of blue that hypnotized him.

Before long, he ran right into it. **It **was soft, whatever **it** was. Like running into a big pillow or something. He was so caught on the softness, that it took him a few seconds to noticed that he was now falling steadily to the ground far below him. He attempted to scream but nothing came out. He just kept falling.

Then something caught him. His eyes were clamped shut and he didn't care what it was that he had landed on, as long as he weren't falling anymore. As he felt whatever it was that had caught him move slowly up, he cracked an eye. It was a hand. A hand had caught him. Both eyes shot open, and he spun around to see who the hell it was that this giant limb belonged to.

Golden eyes met black ones. It was Roy. Edward's heart filled with glee, and once again, he tried to scream out. Nothing. He screamed even louder, and as he called Roy's name louder and louder, the loudest sound he could get from his throat was a whisper. Roy's eyes weren't staring into Ed's, but instead at his arms. Edward looked down to see that he was holding a baby in a bundle of blankets. What the hell?

As onyx eyes stared at the bundle of blankets, they showed no expression, but the rest of his face gave a sort of frown. The hand turned, the baby was gone and Edward was falling again. His red cape blew behind him—was he wearing that before?—and the familiar black leather hugged his skin. He took evasive action. He quickly stripped the jacket off and held it one hand. As air blew by him, Edward struggled to take two corners in each hand. When he finally succeeded, the air caught in the make-shift parachute and he slowed. Then he stopped. Then he began going up shakily. Again his mind made one question: What the hell?

The parachute turned him and he was met with the sight of his brother. Brown hair fell over his angry looking eyes. His mouth was in a deep frown as the lips parted and said something echo-y that sounded an awful lot like, "disappointment to the family." Then Alphonse made quick work of dropping his brother. Edward fell faster than any speed he could remember ever going, so fast as everything around him turned dark. His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, but there was no light to let in. No light.

Edward ran as fast as he could in any direction. His eyes raced around the darkness, trying to find a little light. It was minutes before he caught the tiny flicker. He ran towards it. He had heard once from his mother that he wasn't supposed to run into a light when he was in darkness—it was supposed to mean dying. She told him to simply wait in the darkness for someone to pull him out. Well, since Edward was sitting in the darkness after being rejected by the two most important people to him in the world, he kind of felt like dying. He ran towards the light as fast as he could, and when he reached then end he didn't find pearly gates—thank god—instead, he was in a bright looking room, and there was a door. He walked to it, slowly and out of breath, and opened it. Bright light spilled in to his eyes and when he adjusted he was met with the sight of grassy fields and beautiful blue skies with familiar scenery. He was met with the sight of Resembool. His eyes glistened as they scanned the familiar surroundings. It wasn't just Resembool; it was what was _in_ Resembool. His house stood perfectly in place, as if it was never burned, and blowing in the breeze was a familiar dress and milky brown hair. His mother turned to greet him.

Edward shook his head to see if it was real, nothing disappeared. He ran at top speed towards her, his feet hardly touching the ground. When he reached her, tears were pouring down his face and he hugged her. She was warm and so familiar. "Mom," he whispered, "Is that you?"

Trisha Elric ran a hand down her son's blonde hair numerous times before embracing him. She was so understanding. Edward kept crying as his mother answered with a yes. She shushed him, but he continued to cry, it was too hard to think.

"Edward," her voice was just above whispering, "Quiet down now, I need you to listen to me." She pulled Edward away from her and wiped his tears. "I need you to be strong, Edward. You were always my strong boy, weren't you?"

Edward nodded slowly.

"That's right," Trisha smiled and continued, "But Edward, you need to listen." She lifted Edward's chin with one finger, "You need to be strong. He's coming back, don't forget that. Just wait, and he'll be back, and he'll love you more than ever before. Everything will be alright, so if you can just hold out and be strong, then everything will work out. Smile for me, Edward."

Edward gulped and there was silence for a couple of seconds. Trisha continued to look hopefully into his eyes until finally, a smile spread across his tear-stained face.

"That's good, Edward." She hugged him and then, after a long silence, she said sadly, "I have to go Edward, and so do you."

Edward pulled away from her and replied incredulously, "What?"

"Edward," She held Edward's face in her hands, "I have to leave, and it's time for you to go back."

"No!" Edward screamed, shaking his head, "I don't want you to go!" Trisha only smiled at him as he continued to shout childishly. "Let me come with you!"

Trisha dropped her hands and continued to beamingly smile, "Edward, you don't want to go where I'm going. You have people who need you where you are."

Edward shook his head and turned his stare towards the ground, "No, no one needs me back there. Alphonse has Winry and Roy—" his voice cracked, "He's gone. He'll find someone else anyway."

"No he won't, Edward." A frown replaced her bright smile, "He won't because he loves you. He'll come back."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Edward, it's time for you to go." She turned to walk away. Edward reached out and arm and tried keep her there, but she was too far away. His legs wouldn't move, and he collapsed onto the soft grass. He pulled his legs into his chest and the tears resurfaced. Something warm came around him and he blinked.

The warm surroundings that was Resembool were gone. He was back in the doctor's office.

_—_xx—

**Edward blinked**. In front of him was that familiar blue. He realized that it was the military uniform and he pushed away. Riza Hawkeye had been hugging him.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked fervently.

"Edward, you were sleep talking," the doctor explained, "after you fell forward you passed out." He grabbed Edward's chin and looked at his forehead intently, prodding different spots with intense pressure until he reached a particular spot that made Edward jump back and rub his forehead.

"What the hell?" He clutched the red spot that had just been rudely pressed on.

"Ah," he smiled, "No concussion."

"If you do anything like that again, _you'll _have a concussion."

"Edward please." Riza said coolly, "you should be more careful when you sleep."

"Well, you shouldn't hug people while they sleep," he shot sheepishly.

"Edward, it was you that came to me, what was I supposed to do?" Her voice remained cool and calm.

"O-oh," he blushed, he looked down to the floor.

The doctor cut in. "Ahem, Edward, if we may continue…um, about your 'condition.'"

There was silence while Edward thought.

…

…

"OH YEAH!" He jabbed a finger towards his doctor. "YOU, SIR, ARE A QUACK!"

"Edward, please calm down," Riza and the doctor both said simultaneously.

"Calm _down?"_ His face was turning a deep red. "You just told me I'm _pregnant. **PREGNANT damnit!** _You're over there telling me to be _calm_? I can't fucking be pregnant! I'm a _guy!_"

"Well, Edward, sir," he said with a kind of scared look on his face, "There's a good explanation for that, I think. You said you were doing alchemic experiments; well those sparked a change on the inside of you. Those stomach pains? You were growing a womb."

Edward blinked. The doctor continued.

"Of course, with your unprotected sex life, and your—ahem—amount of sex, you had a lot of reaction with your new eggs."

"NEW _EGGS?_" Edward screamed. He buried his head in his hands and sobbed, "I really _am_ becoming a woman."

"Edward, there's a simple way for us to fix this. When you deliver your baby, we will simply remove the female parts that grew—that is unless you want to keep them—"

"No. Take them away." Edward shook his head and said, "This can't be happening."

"It's a scientific _breakthrough!_" The doctor smiled hopefully but instead of a receiving any understanding, he received a push to the floor and a goodbye.

_—xx—_

**Edward heaved a sigh** as he reached his door to his apartment. His _empty_ apartment, he reminded himself.

"Edward," Riza startled him, "I'm about to do something that I would appreciate if kept quiet."

Edward tilted his head. "Okay?"

She approached him slowly and gave him a quick hug. He blushed. "W-what was that all about?"

"Today was hard for you." She smiled only slightly, "He'll be back." Then she turned on her heels and headed down the steps Edward breathed deeply, sad and happy at the same time, and entered the apartment that no longer held them man he loved.

_—xx—_

_**Okay, so I rushed **this chapter a bit. Actually, I didn't **rush** it, I just did the first part and then a few days later did the last part. The next part will include… Alphonse and Winry! Featuring: ALPHONSE BEATING UP PREGNANT EDWARD! Okay not really but… maybe something close. Who knows? (I do actually) Maybe Winry will pelt him and kill him for being a weirdo and Alphonse will be vicious for him going to live with a guy? YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO READ TO FIND OUT!_

_BUT WAIT THAT'S NOT ALL (oh god, there's more?) READERS **I NEED YOUR HELP!** As you know, Edward will be giving birth (**joy**) and I want you to help me on how you think his child should look! Hair color, eyes, anything you can think of. If you could **include that in your next review** I will decide which one I like the best. Yeah, I know that it's not that exciting, I just want to know what you think a child from Ed and Roy would look like._

_Okay. I'm done (thank god). _

_I hate my inner voice_

_Love you,  
Cho_


	7. Brotherly Love

Disclaimer: Dammit people! Don't you know that I **don't own Hagaren** by now?

**Chapter Seven – Brotherly Love**

**—xx—**

**"Edward!" A muffled voice pulled** Edward out of his deep sleep so violently that he fell off the couch where he had been sleeping. He blinked and looked up wearily from the floor. His eyes looked for a clock and caught sight of one on the wall, noting that it was eleven—at night, judging by the color of the sky outside. Why was he here again? He backtracked in his mind to the hours before. Okay. So he had gotten home from the doctor, came in here. Then he was tired, he groped to the couch, not because he was really that tired, but—though he would never admit it—he was almost scared to sleep in the bed alone. It would smell like Roy, remind him of Roy, and then he would dream of Roy. Instead, he crashed on the couch. But what was that voice that awakened him? He turned his head towards the door and sure enough it came again, but this time, the words were coming from what would seem like a different voice.

"Edward? GOD DAMMIT EDWARD, OPEN THE DOOR!" It was Winry, no doubt about it; and he could tell by the metallic noise knocking on the door that she had her wrench. Joy. Where Winry was, there was bound to be an—

"Edward, if you don't open this door…!" –Alphonse. Wonderful. Edward just _loved_ Alphonse when he was angry. Perhaps…perhaps if he kept quiet he could go unnoticed and they would go away. He didn't feel like being pummeled by his younger brother and best friend. Woo-hoo. Yes. He would just remain quiet—

"Edward, _we know you're in there_! Lt. Hawkeye said you'd come here right after the appointment and we can _see_ the lights on in there!" Damn. If they knew he was there, there was no getting away. Alphonse could surely break down the door with either alchemy, pure strength, Winry, or some lovely combination of the three. No… he'd be better off not ruining Roy's house while he was away. He struggled to get up and then opened the door. Probably not his best decision, seeing as when he opened the door, he was tackled by a very angry looking Alphonse; immediately following this, Alphonse began the throwing of the punches. Edward struggled to dodge them, looking very stupid, but succeeding. His mind searched for something—anything—to say to get his younger brother off of him, but he could only reach one thing, one cowardly out. He didn't mean to say it—nor so loud—but it just sort of…slipped.

"Alphonse—ALPHONSE! STOP!" He screamed, "STOP! I'M PREGNANT!"

This definitely caught the boy's attention, and he stopped for a second. "What?" He blinked, "_What!_ Do you _really_ expect me to believe… that you're… _pregnant?_" He took an angry breath, "really, Edward! I would think that _you_ could come up with something better!"

"It's _true!_" He whined, reaching down for his pocket that was blocked by one Alphonse Elric. He growled, "I can _prove_ it to you, if you'll just—" he shoved the younger Elric off of him, "—get off me." He successfully retrieved two pieces of flimsy paper from his pocket. He pulled himself up as his younger brother steamed on the ground next to him. He studied the papers and shoved a second one into his pocket. He looked up at his fuming brother, "Here, look." He scowled off in another direction as Winry approached the two and peered over his shoulder to read the _true _doctor's note that Alphonse held. Clearly, Edward was not pleased with bringing his unexpected… condition out into the air so soon. He had hoped to keep it a secret for at least a _couple _of days.

He crinkled the other flimsy note in his pocket. This one was far more important to him. This one would get him out of work for a long time. Thank god Roy had decided to go with a doctor out of the military—especially one he was friends with. This note held the lie that Edward Elric had tonsillitis. He was supposed to start going into work for the next few months until he began showing. He shuddered at this thought. God… showing. That would mean that he really _was_ pregnant and—

"How—when—who…?" Alphonse looked beyond puzzled as he glanced between Edward and the note. "What are you trying to pull?"

Edward merely shrugged. "I don't know exactly how it happened, but it has to do with alchemy… and…"

Winry and Alphonse stared at him and he blushed angrily. It had to be this damn hard, he thought. He looked off in another direction, trying to end the conversation. He failed, Winry cut in. "And? And _what!_"

Edward looked back slowly. "…and it _may_ have to do with my…er…" he blushed even further, "mysexlifewithRoy!"

Alphonse blinked, "Your _what?_"

"Edward, please _please _don't tell me you and Colonel Mustang have…" Winry scrunched up her face in disgust.

Edward nodded curtly with his eyes clamped shut, blinding him from the heavy steel wrench that came flying his way. He fell back onto the floor and clutched his throbbing forehead, screaming out in pain. "AHHhhh! What was _THAT_ for!"

"For being such a freak!" Winry leaned forward and grabbed her wrench before pushing herself off the ground and standing on her feet. "Now, get up!"

"You're gonna hit me again!" Edward attempted to crawl away, but was pulled back towards the two by Alphonse.

"Edward, _how could you sleep with a guy?_" Alphonse's eyebrow twitched as he stood up as well. Edward remained sitting on the floor, feeling pretty sorry for himself; after regaining his pride, he pulled himself to his feet and jabbed a finger in their direction.

"What's the big deal?" Edward lowered his hand and then took a menacing step towards them, "It's no different than you guys!"

"Sure it is, Ed," Alphonse said in a matter-of-fact manner, "For example, Winry and I are of opposite sex, and you and the Colonel are of the same sex. That is a difference."

"Another difference," Winry added, "Is that Al and I love each other, and that you and the Colonel _hate_ each other."

"Yet another difference is that Winry and I are of one year's age difference, while you and the Colonel are of at least ten year's difference."

"Agh, would you _please_ stop calling him '**the Colonel**?' 'The Colonel' has a name, and his name is _Roy," _Edward steamed before taking a very deep breath. Then he stuck up a finger, "One. It does not matter that we are of the same sex. Two," he added a finger, "I will admit that from time to time, I can really, truly, dislike Roy, because he frustrates and annoys me more than practically anyone in the entire world, but I could never hate him, because I love him. And Three," He added one more finger, "I don't care about his age, he is a person that makes me happy and that's all that matters."

Edward waited for their response, but the only sound he could hear was the soft ticking in the background from the clock. He blinked and they just stared, until he said, "Well?"

"Well, Brother," Alphonse shook his head, "—I mean, you really…_love_…him?"

"Yes." He answered assuredly and curtly, as if it was the easiest question in the world.

"Where _is_ the Colo—I mean Roy. I'd like to give him a piece of my mind." Winry frowned, placing hands on hips before taking a look around the room.

"Well, he's not here…" Edward's head bowed, his voice becoming less confident.

"Where is he, exactly?" Alphonse asked, with a twinge of anger in his voice.

"He…" Edward's voice cracked and his heart pained him, "he left."

"_Left?_ You mean that bastard broke up with you when he heard you were—" he stuttered, "—pr-pregnant?" Alphonse's eyes lit up with anger, and he turned to leave, "where did he go? I swear I'm going to—"

"No!" Edward shouted, his eyes still towards the floor. His voice softened, "No, he's not gone like that. He's not in town. He didn't break up with me. H-he's off at war."

"War?" Alphonse cocked his head, "Since when was there a war going on?"

"Do you even _read_ the newspaper, Alphonse?" Winry moved towards her best friend, "Edward… so… he's down south, then?"

"Yeah," he gulped and tried to regain his pride before looking up, "But it's no big deal, you know! He'll be back, I don't need him anyway."

Winry put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on, Ed, who are you trying to kid," her voice was wavering, as though she wasn't quite sure of what sure of what she was saying or agreeing to.

"Really," Edward struggled, "I'm fine, Winry."

Alphonse crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in the background, "Are you sure?"

He nodded curtly with a smile, "Thanks for being here, guys." He flashed his teeth.

"You'll call or come see us if you need anything, right?" Winry was still unsure about Edward's current situation, but decided to let him go. He hardly told her anything _anyway_, so she figured this was start.

"Of course, you can count on it anyway. I'm sure I'm going to need a little help soon. Roy's doctor has already prepared a note for when I am unable to go into public, so I'm good as far as that. Roy will come back, I'm sure of it, and everything will be right again." He smiled, "Thanks again."

Winry nodded, and then tugged on Alphonse's arm, "Well, we better go, you should probably sleep."

"Yeah…" He yawned, "Thanks for waking me up in the _first_ place."

Alphonse walked up to his brother and hugged him, "Please stay healthy, Edward. It's weird with you not living with me anymore, and I'm not sure I'm so fond of you living here all alone."

"I'll be fine, I _promise_." He took a seat on the couch once again, "I would like to sleep now, thanks."

Alphonse laughed and then in unison with Winry said, "Goodbye, Edward," before leaving.

Edward settled down to the couch and closed his eyes, partly happy for getting his whole relationship with Roy out there with his brother, but mostly angry for losing nearly an hour of sleep. He would have to remember to be angry and Hawkeye for telling them where he lived in the morning. He was far too tired to get mad right now.

—**xx—**

_**God, this chapter** took me waayyy too long. I didn't mean for it to even come out like this, but I couldn't get the other way to work. It's kind of short… Lucky for you guys, you caught me in the middle of **two** slumps! I got writer's block immediately after writing the last chapter, and _then_ I wrote half of the first page, and then got yet **another** writer's block afterwards. I wrote two fics between the last chapter I'm pretty sure because I had them in my mind, but it didn't really help me. You know what _did _help me? Two things (well, technically four), a new Hagaren song: **Good!**, (I finally found it), and the online release of the OVAs. Have you seen them? The Chibi Party is awesome 3. Oh well, I'm done chatting. Thank you for reading my MPREG, I deeply appreciate it. Bye bye,_

_Cho._

_P.S. I forgot to include how I got the idea for the last chapter in said chapter. I had a dream almost identical to this one with minor detail changes (like the people in it, and the baby, and Trisha Elric), but basically the same. Sorry bout this extra, but thought you might wanna know. _


	8. Life Goes On

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

**Chapter Eight – Life Goes On**

**—xx—**

**Edward growled. **The heat pinpointed his automail and he strained to ignore it. Unfortunately, with a hooded sweatshirt, this proved difficult. Sweat poured down his face and his face was very red, but he continued on with an angry frown scarring his face.

Of course, Edward had to wear the hooded sweatshirt, even though it was early June in Central, which meant excruciating heat and bright shining suns. Joy. He blinked through the blinding light, taking in a sigh of relief as a cloud blocked the rays, giving him a brief overcast. His eyes caught the all-too-familiar sight of Central, and he quickened his pace in the heat's tiny wake to get there just a bit faster.

He nearly screamed out when the cool air inside of Central blasted him in the face, but he somehow managed to restrain himself. Making his way down the hallway, he grabbed the doorknob to Roy's office and was met with a nearly empty office. There was one relatively new face, fresh from East HQ, and the rest were all people he knew. Fuery had missed the draft—athlete's foot—and Fallman was not needed on the battlefield. It was also half comforting to know that Havoc was just blocks away in the hospital, haven broken his arm on the battlefield—he tripped, Fuery nearly sobbed of embarrassment when hearing this—and being sent back. Edward stepped towards Fuery and gave him a quick smile before returning to his scowling face.

"Wow, it's hot in here. Edward, it's gotta be nearly 100 degrees outside," Fuery noted, "why are you wearing a hooded sweatshirt? You've _got_ to be hot."

A tick popped above Edward. "_You're hot? **You're hot!**_You've got to be kidding me! It's **so fucking hot outsi**—ahem," Edward stopped himself and covered up, "Er, I mean, it's not hot outside, with the wind chill, I just feel downright chilly."

Fuery raised an eyebrow, "But surely, with that automail, you've got to be hot."

"Ahh, it's no big deal! I like hot weather anyhow." He patted the man's shoulder, causing him first touch, to jump back.

"Ah!" He raised a hand to his burned shoulder, "That is _really _hot! Are you sure you're fine?"

"Uh, yeah, be right back," He stuttered, feeling a little dizzy, "I need to walk around a bit."

He walked from the room, needing to leave the conversation. It was true that it was over two months since Roy had left him, and he was wearing this hoodie for a very specific reason—and not because he preferred hot weather. Edward Elric, to his horror, discovered a few weeks ago that his stomach was pushing out. Now, weeks later, it was forming a horrific dome that could only be covered by especially baggy clothes, and only just barely. He sighed deeply, falling against the wall. His eyelids drooped. The heat and worrying had kept him up last night into the early hours, only to be awoken a few hours later. Letting out one last sigh, he pushed himself up and went back into the office. Maybe he could get a little work done this morning.

The deep June sun found its way into the window an hour later, above all the buildings and right into Edward's face as he signed a few papers. His eyes would still sometimes drift over to the chair or the door, depending on their positions. If the chair was faced away from him, he almost half-expected for it to spin around quickly and reveal a deeply smirking Colonel. If the empty chair was facing him, his eyes would find the door, secretly and subconsciously hoping that it would burst open with a late Colonel, slipping a wink for Edward, coffee spilling. Then he would smile, almost smelling the beans and cologne and smoke. When the door opened, Edward's body jolted a little, one side of his mind telling the other, "Look, he's back, he's at work today, look at the door. HEY RETARD! LOOK AT THE DOOR," and the other side of his mind softly telling it, "Don't be stupid, it's not Roy." Then he would get back to work, hardly noticing the looks he was getting.

The door opened, Edward jolted, but heard a familiar voice that made him look up. Sheska pushed in a cart with papers stacked high, looking particularly tired and ruffled. She smiled at the tired looking Edward, handing him his papers. He took them with a scowl as she attempted conversation.

"So, Edward, have you heard about Havoc?" She smiled, glad for some conversation with other human beings.

Edward hardly noticed her, "Yeah, he's back in the hospital." He took her papers and turned his stare to them.

"No, I mean, about him being—"

"—in the hospital for tripping. Yes, yes, we all know. We had a good laugh about it." He surveyed the selection of pens before taking one.

"_No_, Edward, I mean he was with _Colonel Mustang _on the battlefield. Sheesh, no one lets me get anything out around here." She sighed, "Anyway, I thought you might want to know, since you guys are good friends."

Edward snorted. _Good friends_? Who was she kidding? "Yeah, well, maybe I'll go visit him later today with Srg. Fuery." Behind the stare at the paperwork that piled on the table, there was a tiny smile, giving Sheska a little boost in confidence. So she _had _helped.

Meanwhile, Edward was inwardly excited. His mind raced as he thought of some sort of contact with Roy, even if it was one-sided and indirect. His hand raced in his anticipation.

But only hours later, Edward's concentration was washed away by a heavy wave of fatigue, causing him to lose a large part of his tiny interest in his work. His mind searched for a way to entertain himself to keep him awake, but he could not find anything. Suddenly, though, he remembered something he that Roy had told him he had done once. He stood up, set down his pen on the table, and began to walk from the room.

"Where are you headed, Edward?" Fuery looked up.

"Oh, just to the library, I need to look up some records." He smiled innocently, convincing the lower officer enough to nod him off. Not that he _needed_ to, since he _was_ just a Sergeant, but it wasn't a great idea to make _any_ officer suspicious of him—whether he was pregnant or not. He walked out of the room and down the hall. He let his feet carry him to the small library in the HQ. It was hardly used, and only had a very limited collection, but Edward had been there so very often, that he could go there if he was blindfolded. Besides, the fact that it was hardly used made it a perfect location for this occasion.

Opening the door to the dark room, he glanced around, making sure no one would know that he was entering the library. If someone came looking for him, they would realize just why he was here when the found him inside. He was coming here to sleep. He would find a secluded row of shelves and take a nap.

He crept through the room and found a dusty looking shelf. He grabbed a random volume and covered his face, making it look as though he was reading, or, on a closer glance, that he had fallen asleep while reading. Better than if it looked as though he fallen asleep here on purpose. Before he drifted off, thoughts entered his mind. Roy did this a lot, eh? Just how often? How the _hell _had he reached _Colonel_ if he slept in the library? He sighed, maybe he just worked _that _much. After all, he hadn't known Roy before he _became_ Colonel, except for the one time he met him. He smiled at the thought of Roy. What if he had slept in this spot? Sweet memories accompanied what he thought would be a peaceful nap.

**—xx—**

**BAM! Edward's eyes** shot open, a deep pain swelling between his eyes. He removed the book and looked up to discover that another volume had fallen on his face. He looked up at the shelves where it may have come from, seeing that one book was missing from the shelf. A head popped through the hole, brown hair sticking to a sweaty head that was masked from sight besides the green eyes that stared down at him in surprise. "OMIGOD! I AM _SO _SORRY!"

The girl's voice was sharp and young, causing Edward to jolt from his sleepy state as she pulled her head from the hole and disappeared for a second. The blonde Elric sat up angrily and dropped the book in his hand, catching the title in second. It was just some journal. His eyes looked up to the opening between the two shelves, seeing the girl come hurrying around. She was in the usual secretary uniform: blue jacket, blue skirt, black heels. Her short brown hair was stringy and wet from the immense heat outdoors. Edward felt the pain on his forehead dissipate and he studied the girl. She had dull green eyes and her skin color was a bit pale. Not the best looking girl ever, but who was Ed to judge? She looked his age or maybe younger, sixteen or seventeen.

"Sir, are you okay? God, I'm so sorry! I'm new, I just started last week. Are you okay?"

Edward rubbed his head, "You already asked that. Yeah I'm fine."

She stared at him for a second, making him flush just a tiny bit. "What the hell do you want?"

She blushed angrily, "God, I'm _sooo_ sorry." She waved her hands, her tone sarcastic, "Sorry for _looking at you_. Are you too _high and mighty_ to be looked at? Would you like your own _air, _sir?"

Edward was stunned. He blinked, _Wow, she changed fast. _He recovered and smirked, "What's your name?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Who wants to know?"

Edward frowned, "Edward Elric, missy; watch who you're mouthing off to."

"Missy?" She said incredulously, "_Missy?_ Hell, kid, you're one year older than me!"

"Who the fuck are _you_ calling 'kid?'"

"You, idiot!"

Edward jumped to his feet, landing just one inch above the girl. Cue inflated ego. "I'll have you know that you are just a week old secretary, while I am a **_five year state alchemist_. **I'll only say it_ once more_.** Watch who the fuck you're mouthing off to!**"

"Edward Elric, you say," She ignored his rant, "Yeah, seventeen. You're that alchemist that is like, of the people or something." She smirked evilly, "Is it true you're gay?"

"Who the fuck _are_ you?" Edward growled, blushing furiously. "Who told you I was gay?"

"Gabrielle Johnson." She bowed only slightly, "I come from the north."

"Congratulations" He scoffed, "Whatever." He made his way past her, but she spun on her heels and stopped him.

"So…" she smirked, "is it true then? You're with another officer, so I hear."

"Hmm, really, who then?" He remained turned away from her, "Just who am I fucking?"

"I dunno," She shrugged, "Someone though. A guy. He's older."

"Well, get some better information. I have no boyfriend. I have no girlfriend. I don't need one." He quickly exited the room, masking the giveaway look that said, "Hey, I'm dating Roy Mustang!"

**—xx—**

**"What took you so long, Mr. Elric?"** The boy in the corner piped up.

"Lucas," Edward groaned as he reentered the room, "I've told you… _don't call me Mr. Elric_."

"Oh…" He grinned, "Right!"

Edward took a seat in the corner and let out a breath of air, "Someone just stopped me, is all. Then I had a hard time looking for the records." He frowned at the thought of the girl, "But now that I'm _back_ I can get to work." He looked up briefly at the boy in the corner of the room and then back down at his work. Geez, the HQ wasn't real picky on age anymore. This boy was only _fifteen_, but with the draft, and most soldiers gone, many of the secretaries were bumped up to more important positions, and there were lots of openings.

Lots of openings.

A lot.

So kids who were wanting in the military for desk jobs—God only knows _why_—got them. No one really knew why these kids were being so readily taken in, but a few had theories. Edward highly suspected that because _he_ was accepted at the age of twelve, that a fifteen or sixteen year old was 'no big deal.' He wasn't quite sure whether this angered him or not. The room was silent and boring, and the thoughts of Roy rushed right back into his mind.

Oh well, at least they didn't hurt anymore. The thoughts, I mean.

**—xx—**

**Edward stumbled out of the building lazily** into the warmish night. A cool breeze washed over his head and he stood for a second, taking in the wondrous sunset before him. He smiled softly before heading in the direction of the hospital. His feet clapped with the still-hot sidewalk, heat seeping through his boots. He shoved his hands into the pocket in the middle of his hooded sweatshirt. A deep sight made its way between his lips as he caught the scent of flowers. He quickened his pace just a bit, finding his way to a flower stand and taking a few. He wasn't sure why he was buying these flowers—it just seemed like whenever people were in the hospital, and you visited them, flowers should accompany you. He smiled at the young lady with a spider web of smile lines around her eyes. She must really like her job, he thought enviously.

As he opened the doors to the hospital, the familiar scent of medical supplies and, well, hospitals crashed onto him. He scrunched up his face, becoming nauseated. He scurried through the lobby and up to the front desk, naming Jean Havoc.

"Room 205, floor two," she mumbled, waving in the direction behind him, revealing two elevators and a set of stairs. He took the stairs. When he finally reached floor two, he was panting. Carrying half a life created a workout with simple tasks, but he refused to let this stupid child make him out of shape. He followed the numbers down the hall until he was right in front of 205. Not bothering to knock, he stepped right in to Havoc, Fuery, and three young nurses. Edward groaned and gave an apologetic look to Fuery, who was completely confused.

"Here," Edward grunted, putting the flowers on the table carelessly, "I got you these. Now they need to leave. I have to talk to you about military issues."

Havoc groaned, "Really?"

"Yes, really."

It was silent for a moment.

Havoc let out deep sigh before announcing, "Alright, ladies, he's right. You all have to leave for a while, because this stuff is secret."

The three nurses 'ooh'd' before scurrying from the room; Edward stared at Havoc for a second before saying, "Is that really appropriate?"

"Edward," Havoc quickly answered, "I think that while Roy is away, I should take this chance to be able to flirt without being scared of him walking and taking them from me."

Edward blinked, not able to find a reply. "Ok, whatever." He sighed, "That's not why I'm here."

"You're here about Roy, right?"

Edward gaped, "How did you know?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He kind of shrugged in the hospital bed before shifting positions. "We all know how much you've been suffering. I'm your link. Lucky me."

"Well, then let's get right down to the point." Edward took a seat in an uncomfortable chair, shifting positions until he had found the right one. He shifted a little more, nervous about discussing his private life with others. However, Jean Havoc had known about them since they had gotten together. In fact, luckily enough for Edward, he was _there_ when they did. Thank you, Roy, Edward noted in his mind. "H-how is he, y'know, doing?"

"Well, it _is_ a battlefield, so it's not like he's lounging around or in a particular mood. Also," he added, "at first, he was in a practically dead state after leaving you. He would just kind of stumble around and it was strange. He wasn't the Colonel we knew. After a while, he seemingly adjusted, but we knew he was still thinkin' about you." Havoc paused, "God, this sounds so mushy. What is this, a fucking soap opera?"

Edward stifled a laugh, it was a little cheesy. "So…?" He urged him to continue.

"Well, anyway," He continued, "He made me promise not to tell you this, but it's so damn, god what's the word, adorable? Yeah… adorable, that I had to tell you; so un-Colonel. He has this photo of you. It's all crumpled and worn at the edges and I'm pretty sure he drew a little heart on it. It's a got a note on the back that you wrote and the man practically sleeps with it. He always has it in his pocket."

Edward stared, mouth wide open. "You're kidding."

"Swear to god." He moved his unbroken hand to his heart. "I laughed at the top of my lungs when I heard it. Of course he smacked me and that's when he made me promise not to tell you. Couldn't help it, boss."

Edward was blushing a little. "So, he misses me?"

"Are you _listening?_" Havoc groaned, "Of _course,_ he misses you! He carries a picture of you around, man!"

Edward smiled at him before standing back up. "Thanks."

"No problem." He sat back on the bed as the blonde walked out of the room, but then stopped him. "Wait, Edward?"

He stopped quick in his tracks, spinning around. "Yeees?"

"Two things. One," he sat up, "That man loves you to death. Don't you ever doubt him or give up on him." He lay back down on the bed, "Two. You can't tell him I told you. He'll break my arms and legs."

Edward nodded quickly. How could he give up on him after hearing _that_?

"Alright, 'night boss."

Edward scurried from the room and sped down the stairs. Havoc let out a breath and reached for his smokes, feeling a deep need for nicotine. "God, it's just like a fucking soap opera." He lit the cig and took a drag, "a fucking soap opera," he murmured through a smoke ring.

—**xx—**

**Edward closed the door to **the apartment and dropped his bag. He stumbled through the hallway, feeling his heart flutter softly in his chest. He pulled off the hoodie in his room and hardly noticed the lump on his stomach. He fell back on the bed and let out just one school-girlish giggle. That's all he would allow. He smiled softly, how could he not laugh? It was like Roy was there, right next to him. He sat up and frowned. "Okay," he said aloud, "that's enough, I'm not a little girl or anything.

He smiled again, and fell asleep in the bed that had lay unoccupied for so many months, finally feeling like it wasn't cursed with Roy, but blessed with him. Edward laughed softly, "God, Havoc was right," he grinned, "It's just like a soap opera."

_**Do you hate me that I **skipped a bunch of months? I'm sorry. I figured this would make the story go faster anyway. I don't feel like writing a full nine months. Instead, I'm basically going to do trimesters. I didn't really go into Edward's stomach so much, because that made me a little uneasy, and if makes me uneasy, it might make you uneasy._

_Get me?_

_No?_

_Fine._

_Okay, so let's just keep it like this. So, the next chapter may be the end of the third trimester, which means birth. I would kind of like to get the **Edward being pregnant** thing over with so we can get to his daughter. I love So—oops! I don't think I'm gonna give away the name just yet…unless I already did. Did I? Sorry if I did. I got new music to listen to and other stuffs. Thanks for reading, guys, and PLEASE REVIEW :D PLEASE?_

_:D_

_Bai,_

_**Ales**_


	9. Fooled

Disclaimer: I have a snuggly Edward Elric blanket and a wonderful set of Roy and Ed plushies from the movie, but Hagaren will never be mine.

**Chapter Nine – Fooled**

—**xx—**

"_**We're going to have to** perform a C-section to get the baby out of you when it is born, seeing as how you are not built to normally give birth."_

Edward squirmed in his bed, mussing the once neat covers. Just the sound of 'C-section' made his stomach flip, and that was before he had been told what it actually was. The doctor explained it to him in simple terms, and then he decided to look into it further. Bad idea. No. Squirm was an understatement. More like twitch or spaz. _Needles_ made him squirm. _Scalpels _made him absolutely nutty. He closed his eyes for a second, letting his hand find its way to his largely bloated stomach. With soft touches he traced circles, not wanting to harm his life. He smiled, eyes imagining pictures of the baby. He felt a kick and raised his head, opening his eyes. It kicked again, and smirked. "Yeah yeah," he whispered, "I know you want out. It's not like I want you in there either."

He twirled a finger in his bangs, a nasty habit that had developed in his months trapped at home. A slight curl had begun to form in the bangs, and he cursed it, but continued to twirl the blonde strands. He yawned, sitting up on the bed, his stomach stopping him short. Thank god he would be rid of it in days. Weeks at most.

He pushed himself off the bed and stumbled into the kitchen, flinging the cabinet open to reveal a wide range of food. He stared for a moment before grabbing a candy bar. He knew it wasn't the most nutritious choice, but he was hungry and he didn't feel like preparing anything, so he ripped it open and threw the cabinet door shut. The baby kicked again and he growled, "God dammit!" He screamed at his stomach, "You can shut up now, I know you're there! It's pretty damn _obvious!_"

He stopped himself. Though he knew no one was watching, he realized he must look ridiculous. Yelling at his stomach… jeez, all the time indoors must be messing with his mind. He plopped onto the couch and took a bite from the candy bar, letting out a sigh. He stared at the calendar on the wall. October. A cool breeze slipped in the window and he sighed. It was nearly nine months since Roy had gone off to war, and there were no signs of it letting up. At all. He squirmed on the couch and then he stopped. It was so silent in this apartment, but he could almost see Roy come rushing out and saying, "I gotta go, bye!" He could feel the couch depress next to him and hear a soft voice ask, "How was your day?" He slumped on the couch, remembering the countless meals and numerous nights here. He clutched his stomach, saying aloud, "Thank you, Roy, for leaving this _thing_ behind."

He stood up to throw his wrapper away, making his way across the room and back into the kitchen to retrieve an apple when there was a knock at the door. He turned his head to it and, simply assuming it was Winry or Alphonse—because they popped in at least three times a week—screamed, "Come in, it's unlocked!" He grabbed a cookie instead as the door squeaked open and shut, and a something heavy hit the ground. Edward raised an eyebrow and walked into the hallway. That's when the cookie on the plate fell from his hand and shattered on the ground. He stared at the person in the foyer.

It was Roy.

There was silence.

Then Roy smiled softly, "Was I gone long? I swear I just stepped out."

Edward gaped, not sure if the man in front of him was real or just a figment of his imagination. He stepped forward on courageous step, and sure enough, he was still there. He stepped again. Soon he was in Roy's arms, his scent all around him. The normal one was there, thick cologne accompanied by smoke, but there was also sweat and another sweet smell that he could not name. "I missed you so much, Roy, you don't even know." He wrapped his arms around his waist, his body warm.

"I missed you, too, Edward," He smiled down at him, ruffling the boy's hair softly. "But I'm back."

"Why didn't you call or write or something, you bastard!" Edward yelled, head still resting on Roy. "You just left me guessing, _as usual_."

"Oh, of course, Edward, I'll just step out of where I was hiding on the battlefield and make a collect call, and heck, I'll send a _letter _with my magic powers!" Roy rolled his eyes, "Just how do you propose I do that?"

Edward growled, "You could find a way."

"Well, then there would be no surprise." He smiled at Edward, his eyes wary from travel or the battlefield. A million questions crossed Edward's mind. What was the battlefield like? What's that sickly-sweet smell? What are you doing home for? He opened his mouth to ask, but as Roy moved in on him, he found himself dumbstruck. The million questions washed away as lips covered his. He closed his eyes, but then pulled away.

"Come on, Roy," Edward whispered, out of breath, "Bedroom."

Roy smirked, "Already? I can do that." As Edward tried to get away, Roy only let him walk backwards down the hall, holding his hands on his hips and guiding him. Roy kept trying to lean in for a kiss and Edward kept swooping lower and lower away from him, tempting him. But when Roy went deep to grab Edward's lips, Ed slipped, tripping over his own feet and falling backwards towards the wood floor. As he fell, time slowed down to an almost stand still and it all became clear to him. Why didn't Roy show physical wear and tear? Why hadn't Roy noticed his huge impregnated stomach? Why did he not cut himself on the glass that shattered?

It was all very clear as time sped up to incredible speeds and he slammed his head on the floor with no pain. His eyes reopened. It had all been a dream. White walls surrounded him. He was in a hospital bed, not home. He felt his heart pang. Was Roy home at all?

—**xx—**

He pushed himself up in the bed to see Alphonse and Winry, who both automatically noticed and rushed to his side.

"You're awake!"

"Apparen-"

"Are you in pain?"

"Why would—"

"Do you need anything?"

"N—"  
"Are you sure? I mean—"

"HOLD IT!" Edward clutched the blankets. "Now just what the _hell_ am I here for? Was the fall that bad?" Edward blinked. Why had he said that? Wasn't that a dream? Maybe not. Maybe he _had_ just hit his head and Roy _was_ here."

"Fall?" Alphonse looked geniunley confused.

"What are you talking about, Edward?" Winry cocked her head slightly. "You're here because you gave birth."

Edward blinked several times, staring at his brother, then his best friend. There was an uneasy silence as Edward just stared.

Silence.

"Wait… **_WHAT?_**" Edwards's eyes had shot open and he looked straight towards his stomach. It was still larger than normal, but its size had decreased considerably. "When did that happen?"

"Don't you remember? We were over for tea and you fainted. We called the doctor that you went to originally and described what happened and then he drove over there personally and picked you up. Then we came here and we've been waiting for almost an entire day. He performed the surgery and got rid of everything and then you've been sleeping since. He told us that you weren't to be woken or you could be violent and open some wounds so we've just been waiting."

Edward blinked and suddenly it all rushed back to him. But when had the Roy incident occurred? Earlier? Never? He had to ask. "So, where's Roy?" His heart hurt with this very question, but he had to ask.

"Roy?"

"What do you mean? He's still in the South."

Edward blinked. His heart sped up painfully and he felt something rush to his eyes. It burned and he shook his head. "What do you mean? You must be mistaken." He felt his voice wavering. Even _it_ didn't believe what he was saying. "We had a conversation. He smelled different. He held me. He smiled at me." He held back the tears as well as he could. "I dropped the plate a-and he was tanned and…and…" He gulped. It just wasn't _possible_. He had felt him there!

"Edward, it must have been a dream," a fourth voice entered the conversation. "I gave you my best and newest hallucinogen. It's supposed to work the best with no pain during surgery, but the major side-effect is vivid dreams."

"But," Edward protested, "He was there." He knew it was pointless to argue, but no one in this room could possibly understand how he had felt every groove on his lover's face, but now was now being told that he had never even set foot out of the battlefield.

It just felt impossible.

"I'm sorry, Brother," Alphonse whispered, "I can't possibly know what you've been going through. Winry has always been here with me. I-I just don't know."

Edward couldn't help but wonder how Alphonse always seemed to know what he was thinking. Perhaps it was some sort of brotherly telekinesis.

"It's okay, Alphonse," Edward lied, "I'll be fine."

Winry smiled. "So, do you want to see her?"

"Her? Her who?"

"Your daughter, silly."

Edward blinked.

"WHAT?"

—**xx—**

**A/N: **_I don't think it's possible for me to thank and apologize to my fandom enough for putting up with me. –sob- I am SO sorry. Forgive me, my fandom! Oh well… I'm sorry about the length of this chapter, but strict rule in this house says **OFF BY NINE** and it is 8:58. If only I had a computer in my room._

_Anyway… I'm sorry for leading this fandom on. Yes yes, I know, we all wanted Roy back for the birth. I have better plans. Please believe me. Gosh Shuichi's voice is pretty._

_I also apologize for the length of the wait. You guys really are amazing and I will work on the next chapter soon. I just wanted to get the birth over with… to tell the truth it made me uneasy! I didn't really like writing about it as I have never actually experienced being around a pregnant woman. I am the youngest in my family you see, so I had to get all my information from internet and Aemi (she has **connections** –shifty eyes-)_

_Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want, you can read my new piece, **Every Fan Gets a Prize**; people seem to like it as well, so I will be updating that one. Switch off people; I'm not a miracle worker._

_I love you all, thank you for your **FAN**tastic support,_

_Ales_


	10. Soliece

**Disclaimer**: **I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, and I am far too tired to work on a witty disclaimer.**

**Chapter Ten – Soliece**

**—xx—**

**Edward blinked and **stared at the wall before looking back at Winry. "What do you mean, 'my _daughter_?'"

"Oh, god," Winry said, rubbing her temples, "Please tell me you remember being pregnant."

"What? Yes!" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Good," Alphonse breathed, "I was not looking forward to trying to explain that to you again."

"You still haven't answered my question." Edward said, "How can I have a daughter, I thought I was having a so—"

The door opened and the doctor walked in with a pink bundle of blankets in his hands, cutting Edward off. He smiled really big and then burst out, "The birth was a complete success, Mr. Elric!" He walked to his side, "Here's your new baby girl. She's healthy, and, if I might say, quite beautiful."

Edward, still dumbfounded from the opposite sex of his child, took her in his arms. He removed the top of the blanket, covering the child's head and smiled at her. A thick black fuzz covered her head and her skin was a soft white. He stroked her cheek and just stared. Her eyes were closed because she was asleep, but she was still wonderful.

"So," Winry said, interrupting his trance, "What are you going to name her?"

Edward blinked. In the haze of his pregnancy, he had not even once thought of a name. Even if he had, he would have probably had some boy names ready, not girl names. He had simply assumed that because Roy and he were both men, they would have a boy. Apparently he was wrong. He stared at her and suddenly a distant memory came rushing into his mind…

_"Edward, you wanna know a secret?" His mother's voice surprised him as he sat by the tree in the backyard of his home, reading. He turned around and nodded quickly. Of course he wanted to know a secret! She sat down next to him, smoothed out her dress and pulled her brown hair back before smiling at her son. "Well, it's about Alphonse. You know that when I was pregnant with him, we thought we were having a girl?"_

_"What? Really?" Edward's eyes were wide._

_"Yeah! We were so sure that you were going to have a little sister that we came up with a name!" She smiled wide and Edward's heart grew warm._

_"Wow!" Edward grabbed his feet and rocked back and forth with a smile, but then his smile faded and he stopped rocking. "What were you going to name her?"_

_"Well, we had three names, but I had secretly decided. What I was going to name her was…"_

"…Soliece." Edward said as he held the child closer. "I want to name my girl Soliece."

Winry was smiling wide. He couldn't believe that he just called the baby 'his' girl. Alphonse, on the other hand, had a look of surprise. "Really?" He said, stepping closer to his brother. "You mean the name mom loved?"

"Yeah," Edward smiled. "It seems appropriate, right? Edward smiled at the still-his secret. His mother had once told Alphonse that she really loved the name, but never that she actually had picked it out for Alphonse. As tempted as he was to call Alphonse 'Soliece', he kept it to himself, keeping the secret safe.

"That's nice," Alphonse said, with a wide smile on his face.

"Well, _I_ like it." Winry said, "Can I see her?"

"Just a second, Winry," He hugged Soliece, "Just a second."

There was a silence for a while so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and then you heard a very light whisper from Edward.

"I wish Roy was here to see this." Edward's voice was hoarse and his body shaky.

"Are you going to be alright, Brother?" Alphonse looked into his eyes.

"Y-yeah," Edward shrugged, "its cool. Here, Winry," he handed her his child, "You can hold her."

He leaned back on the bed and turned to the doctor, "So, when can I leave?"

"Well, Edward, you should probably wait here for a couple more hours since you've been here a near day anyway. The hormones are still going through your body, but your testosterone will kick in soon enough, so you should be emotional for another hour or so. In about two hours, you will have very serious mood swings for a while, so I will put you back under then for another hour. Then you should probably let your wounds set while you sleep plus another two hours. You can either leave late tonight or wait until tomorrow morning."

Edward blinked, taking in the information. "I guess I'll just wait until morning. That's probably safest."

"Here," Winry placed Soliece back in Edward's arms. "So you're just going to stay here then?"

Ed nodded, holding the child close to him once again. The doctor left the room, returning minutes later with a needle filled with something green. Edward squirmed anxiously and clamped his eyes shut. He could hear his brother chuckle in the background and reminded himself to kill him later. The pin broke his skin and he bit his lip as he could feel it enter, then slowly retract. A pinprick of blood came from his arm, but the doctor took care to simply wipe it away. "There, now they should kick in soon."

For a while there was silence before his brother spoke. "Do you, uh, want us to stay?" He asked, hints for a 'go free' in his voice.

Edward looked up sleepily, his drugs starting to kick in, "Tha-a-as o-okay." Soliece stirred in his arms, squirming in the blankets before fighting at opening her eyes. Edward gasped. Staring up at him were two wide golden eyes, shining and sparkling even in the dim light of his room. For a minute the two just stared at each other, the girl studying her father, as if to make sure he was good enough, the boy staring down at his new daughter, waiting for acceptance. After what seemed like forever, the girl parted her lips and let out a small giggle, showing her teeth-less gums. Edward let out a breath of air before the drugs began to take over, and he handed his daughter over to the doctor reluctantly. He closed his eyes and drifted away.

—**xx—**

**He instantly knew it was a dream. **Because of this, he took advantage of getting to do whatever he wanted, and the one thing he wanted to do was see Roy. Soon, Edward found his bare feet being warmed by hot sand. He looked up at the sky, its warm purple twilight and bright moon guided him through the unknown land. He lazily searched the skyline, feeling no hurry in his dreaming state. He felt no discomfort in the least, having loose close brushing his sides softly, his hair down and blowing behind him in the soft breeze; the warm air at his sides and softly coaxing him into the horizon where his eyes found a warm light.

As he walked, he distinctly noticed the utter silence, deciding that he liked it. Although he felt no rush, he was also eager in finding what he had wished for, and soon, he heard a very definite and familiar voice that could only belong to one Colonel Mustang. It was a soft murmur, accompanied by no one else, as if he were praying. "…but that's impossible," Ed softly chuckled, "Who the hell would that bastard pray to?"

But as the voice became clearer, he found that he was right. Roy was simply on his own and he was sitting on the ground, staring at the down, probably just talking to himself. He was so engrossed in his praying that he hardly noticed the soft steps approaching him. When he turned his head, Edward stopped in his steps, surprised at the sight of his lover. Apparently so was Roy.

Edward studied his lover's face, being that his jaw was covered in black stubble that Ed couldn't have even imagined before then. His skin color had a gained a tiny bit of pigment and his hair was longer, covering the back of his neck if only a small bit.

But his eyes. Those were the worst. Or maybe the best. They were so extreme, that they were beautiful and scary, wonderful and horrible. He stared at their emptiness… except they weren't empty. They were filled with a combination of fear, shame, adrenaline, excitement, and worry that stirred into an intoxicating mix that Ed just couldn't tear away from. Roy remained seated, tired eyes looking into his lover's before whispering, "Ed, what the hell are you doing in the south?"

"I…you…what the hell happened to you, you stupid bastard?" He took a daring step towards his lover, though knowing that he was dreaming, was still scared to touch the one who was stolen from him now twice before.

Roy rubbed his eyes, "What, is it my face? I know I haven't shaved. What do you care?"

Edward neverminded the rude gesture and continued, "No, it's your eyes. What the hell happened to your eyes?"

Roy looked at him before letting out a sigh. "This is why I didn't want you coming down here. Everyone down here looks the same. It's from all the people we've killed." He pushed himself off the ground, walked towards his lover and put his arms around his shoulders. "It's nice," he let a small smile grace his face, "to see someone who doesn't look starved of humanity. You look… normal." He attempted at touching his face, but Ed squirmed from his grasp and took several steps back.

"No!" He put his arms out in front of him to keep Roy away.

"Ed…" Roy said pathetically, trying to reach his lover. "Come on, Edward."

"No, I won't let it happen again!" Ed screamed. "Last time I let myself believe that you were here and you disappeared."

"Last time…?" Roy blinked, "Ed, what the hell are you talking about? I haven't seen you since I left!"

"Shut up! You're just a dream!" Edward growled, "What the hell did I do this for? I could have done anything and I saw _you?_"

"Edward, come on, sit down, you need to rest. You sound delusional and you need some sleep."

"N-no!" Edward bit his bottom lip, "I won't let myself. I'd rather wake up than have some fake wet dream about you!"

Roy sighed, "I still don't know what you're talking about, and I _still_ don't know how the hell you got down here, but I guess I'll just have to let you stay away. You're being absolutely ridiculous but I'd rather have you here than have you run away."

Edward scowled, "Right, like you _really_ mean that. Probably just want to make me feel sorry for you or some shit so you can get in my pants. Well guess what, it's not going to work. I'm not stupid!"

Roy looked at him for a while before bowing his head and shaking it, laughing softly. Edward stepped towards him, "And what the hell is so funny, you bastard?"

Roy laughed a bit longer before looking up at Ed, "It's nice to know that you haven't changed in my absence. I would have been very disappointed if you had."

Edward blushed, "Whatever. I'm still not going to touch you."

Roy shrugged, though he looked a little disappointed. "That's fine, I suppose, we can talk." He fell back onto his seat on the ground. Ed reluctantly sat few feet away, facing him and staring at him suspiciously.

"So what are you doing out here, anyway?" Ed said, swaying his head in the direction of the fire lit camp. "Aren't you supposed to be over there?"

"Nah," Roy said, ruffling his own hair, attempting to bring up the back a little. "It's too loud over there. I need to think, and I can be alone out here."

Edward cocked his head, "Isn't that dangerous? I mean what if you were attacked?"

Roy shrugged, "Does it really matter?"

Ed's brow furrowed angrily, "You stupid _bastard!_That's completely selfish! You know how many people would miss you if you were dead?"

Roy stared at him with an eyebrow raised. "I think you misinterpreted what I said. I meant, does it matter if they attack me out here or in there. I still have my gloves. I don't need an entire army backing me up." He smirked at his own self confidence, but then it grew wider when he realized what Edward had been implying. "Would you really miss me _that _much?"

The blonde flushed, "_No_. Like _I'd_ miss _you_." He turned away from the man, looking off into the mountainous distance.

Roy sighed. "Ed, please, at least _sit_ next to me. It's been nearly a year," he reached out a hand, "I miss you."

Still staring out into the night, he gulped, feeling his defensive mind begin to break down. Who was he to deny Roy Mustang? He hadn't done many times before, that's for sure. Roy was nearly… nearly _begging_just to be next him. No, Roy was not begging, simply demanding in a sympathetic manner. But this was ridiculous! He was just a dream! This time Edward _knew_ it.

…but what would it hurt? Wasting this time by being stubborn was just ridiculous and childlike. He and Roy both knew that he wanted to hold him and be with him. "Fine," Ed breathed, almost feeling the smile appearing on Roy's face, "I will. But not for you! I want to, okay?"

He stood and moved to him, sitting a half foot from the Colonel, seeing the disappointed look on his face. Edward bit his lip and closed those inches until he was right up against him, an arm snaking it's way around his waist. "Now," Roy said, "is this so bad?" Edward could tell he was holding himself back as to not piss off Edward and make him move away, so Edward simply nodded.

There was a long silence, simply because Edward could not think of anything to say, but then he bit his lip, wanting to tell Roy something… tell him what had happened in the last nine months…

"What's wrong with you?" Roy asked.

"Listen you bastard," Ed growled, "don't push your luck."

"I thought you said you wanted to sit here, hmm?" The raven haired man smirked.

"Shut up." Ed clenched his teeth. "Listen, I need to tell you something."

"Yeah?" Roy pulled Ed closer to him, practically placing him in his lap.

"Pay attention!" Edward snapped, "Seriously. This is important."

"Listening." Roy said innocently.

"So, you know how I was a little sick when you left and I had to go to the doctor?" Why was he even bothering to tell him this? He was just a dream, for God's sake! Edward waited for his response anyway, and then continued at a nod. "Well, when I went, they, um, sort of, found out something weird…"

"Yes…" Roy waited patiently.

"Well, that night I moved in, I had been screwing around with Al, doing all these weird experiments, alchemy-wise, mind you. Then, I came over and, right after that I started to get sick, right?" Roy nodded yet again, pleading for his lover to get to the point he was obviously avoiding. "They found out that…" Edward bit his lip again. "No, this is stupid, why do I need to tell you?"

"Come on, Ed," Roy said anxiously, "just tell me."

"No, you're not going to believe it."

"What?" Roy said, "What's there not to believe?"

"Believe me, you bastard! I hardly believed it myself!"

"So now you're comparing yourself to me?"

"You're right, that's unfair to me!"

"You're being childish again! Why are you always like this?"

"Fine, you idiot, you really wanna know? The doctor said I was…"

Suddenly, his eyes were closed and the warmth of the desert was gone, and he knew that he was awake. He hadn't told dream Roy that last word, breathing it out like dirty air, "…pregnant."

—**xx—**

**Edward was out of his hospital bed in an hour**, fully dressed and waiting out in the lobby for his daughter to be brought to him. He hugged his red jacket around him in the cold air of the hospital, growling at the doctor under his breath for taking so long at getting Soliece. How long could it possibly take to get her? Surely, they could tell them apart, not many children have golden eyes and black hair, and—Edward chuckled to himself—looks that could kill. "C'mon," he grumbled, "I'd like to get home."

Minutes later, the doctor emerged with the child in his arms, once again wrapped in a pink blanket. "I assume you have a way to get home other than walking?" The doctor said, letting Edward take the girl in his arms.

"Er, no," Edward said, puzzled, angered, and tired. "I was just going to walk home; it's not far from here. I can't drive anyway."

"I'm going to have to get you a ride, then, it's far too cold outside. Do you know an adult that I can call?"

"Are you kidding? It's _Fall_! It's gotta be at least sixty out there!"

"For the safety and welfare of that child, I require that you find a ride. Now can you give me an adult's number?"

Edward grumbled, cursing the fact that he'd have to wait at this horrid hospital even longer. Racking his brain, he searched for an adult that he could call. Normally, he'd just bug Roy at work, but seeing as how the man was hundreds of miles away, he took the next subordinate. "I'll make the call." He grabbed a pay phone off the wall, and punched in the numbers, biting his lip angrily to keep the swearing at a minimum.

—**xx—**

**Lieutenant Havoc arrived about twenty **minutes later, nodding to the doctor and staring at the bundle of blankets in the steaming boy's arms before leading him to his car. Even as Ed climbed into the back and the Lieutenant started the car, his eyes still remained glued to the baby. Ed could feel his stare and looked up at him. "What?"

Havoc's eyes lazily drifted up to Ed's as he grabbed for a cigarette. "Nothing," he rambled, placing the cig in his mouth and lighting it, "I just can't help but wonder what you're doing with a baby." He took it out after a long drag, letting the smoke linger in the air before blowing it towards the passenger seat window.

Ed blushed, "That's none of your fucking business!"

"What," Havoc continued, ignoring the other blonde, "did you adopt or something?"

Edward clenched his teeth. "I said that's none of your business! Now take me home…_please_," he spat.

Havoc shrugged, "Whatever, chief." The rest of the ride back to the apartment was silent, as promised, and when Edward slammed the car door closed behind him, he simply nodded in the officer's direction before walking to his door and making his way inside begrudgingly. Only then did he realize.

He had _no idea_ what to do with this child. He stared down at the snoozing Soliece and around the apartment as he closed the door behind him. He felt the girl squirm in his arms and he realized there was only one thing to do. He set his daughter down on the couch and grabbed for the phone, calling the one person that he knew could help him. He dialed for Winry Rockbell.

—**xx—**

**A/N: Okay**, I finally finished this chapter after being grounded for a week, off the computer for two weeks before that because of band camp and writer's block all through then. I hate this… can I just skip to the end now! I just want to write the last three chapters… those will be fun. Now I have about a million drabbles to write that I have stored either in my mind or in my drabbles notebook, a new chapter of EFGP because you all (well, that separate set of readers) want me to update it. I'll get it done, I'll try. I don't know if I'm still grounded. I had to practice both instruments for an hour each to get on here now, so now I'm going to work on EFGP because they are the most important. Then I will do drabbles if I have time. Thanks to all of you for my fabulous support.

Ales :D


	11. Inches and Falling

**Disclaimer: YES. I AM STILL HERE, AFTER ALL THIS TIME. No, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist after all this time…**

**Chapter Eleven – Inches and Falling**

—**xx—**

_**Knock, Knock, Knock.**_

"Dadddyyyyyyy!"

Edward lifted his head from his work, his eyeglasses lying precariously on the tip of his nose. He groaned and removed them, setting them on the desk. Scooting his chair out from the desk he was sitting at, he strode to the door and opened it. He was met with two happy, shockingly glowing golden eyes looking up at him in the doorway.

"Sol… how many times have I told you?" he ran a hand through his hair, "_don't interrupt daddy while he's working?_" He bent over and picked her up under her shoulders, holding her against his hip. "This is the fourth time today that you've knocked on my door."

Soliece grinned, putting up her open palm. "Five! I've knocked five times." She glanced over at her hand to make sure she was holding the right number up, and then counted them out, putting a finger up to match. "One… two… three… four… five!"

Edward stared at her for a second, almost incredulously, before letting a chuckle out. He reached up with his other hand to ruffle her soft, wavy, raven hair. "What do you want, kid?"

"Mac and cheese!" She threw her hands in the air and threw her head back, surprising her father, and barely missing being dropped.

He withdrew the pocket watch from his pocket and clicked it open, checking the time. "Well, lucky you," he flashed his teeth, "it's 12:30." He showed the time to her, as if to give her proof, even though, as a three-year-old, she could not yet read time. "That's lunch time!"

"Yaaaaay!" The girl bounced in his arms and began chanting, "Mac and cheese! Mac and cheese!"

"Okay, okay," he let her down from his arms, watching her dash to the kitchen, "but you need a vegetable. I'm gonna put some peas in there, okay?"

She turned around from where she stood, almost twenty feet away, to stick her tongue out.

Clearly, she could only be the spawn of Edward Elric.

He followed after her, eyeing her as she wiggled herself dangerously into one of the high barstools. Fortunately, she did not fall, as she had many times before, and instead sat upon it, swiveling left to right and right to left in it merrily, as a three-year-old should.

"What d'you want to drink, Sol?" Edward asked, opening the cupboard to retrieve the bag of macaroni noodles.

"Miiiiillllk!" Bouncing up in her chair, the young Mustang-Elric licked her lips greedily.

Edward shuddered. Perhaps she _wasn't_ only the spawn of an Elric.

"I don't understand how you can drink that vile drink. I only keep it in the house for you, and the occasional cake…"

"It's _yummy_, Daddy!" She grinned, standing up on the chair and flexing her nonexistent muscles. "And it makes me grow big and stroooong! Grrr!"

"Soliece Mustang-Elric!" He dropped the bag and pointed a very threatening finger at her, "do _not_ stand on the swivel chairs! You'll _fall_."

The girl bit her lip tentatively, as if to decide if she was going to obey her father or continue practicing acrobatics. The finger was very threatening to the small girl, and she chose to sit back down on the wooden seat.

"You're just mad because you won't drink milk, and you gotsta take vitamins for it."

Edward considered blowing up at this comment, but instead retrieved a pot from under the stove and filled it with water.

After all, how could he get mad at his daughter when the comment she just made proved that Roy Mustang's DNA was also part of hers?

The pot of water was then transferred to the stove. He retrieved a match from the drawer next to it, and lit the stove cautiously. He missed the days when he would make dinner, and in the other room, as he got the matches from the drawer, Roy would simply snap his fingers and light the stove for him.

Of course, there were many_ more _reasons Edward missed those days.

Soliece watched the fire carefully, as it danced underneath the pot on the stove. Sometimes, when Edward watched his daughter do this, he wondered if Roy was the same way when he was little. After all, he knew very little about his lover's past before Ishbal. Maybe Roy was just like a boy version of their Soliece. Maybe he, too, could watch a candle for hours and not get bored. Maybe, Soliece would grow up just like him.

But then, he remembered what a pyromaniac Roy was, and would quickly find something for her to do before she started sticking things into the flames to see what would happen.

"Here, Sol," he said, handing her a piece of paper, "do these. And if I catch you putting this paper into that fire, I'm gonna kick your butt."

She nodded in response before looking down at the paper. She looked back up at her father and grinned, "Addition! Yay!" The girl reached for a pencil at the end of the counter and began scribbling answers onto the paper. Edward smiled smugly. His daughter was going to be a freaking _genius_ when she started school in two years.

He quickly added the noodles to the now boiling water and turned down the heat a little. After basking in the parental glory of his daughter happily answering math problems, he stepped away from the stove. He wandered around the front part of the apartment, not surprisingly finding himself eventually standing in front of the mantel. He picked up the same picture that he always found himself picking up and held it lovingly in his hands. Looking down at it, he rubbed the wooden frame softly with his fingertips. Staring back at him was Roy Mustang, eternally embracing him, smiling at the camera with that rare, squinty-eyed, toothy smile that he revealed when he was truly happy. Edward_ loved _this picture. It was one of the only pictures of Roy and him, and the only one where both of them looked genuinely happy. Edward smiled softly, his heart pounding anxiously.

"DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!" Soliece called, interrupting his moment, as she was so very good at, "THE WATER IS BUBBLING!"

Whipping around, picture still in hand, he answered flatly, "yes, that's what it does when it gets hot, Sol. You know, when vapor pressure is equal to external—"

"No!" Soliece shook her head violently, "look!"

He followed the direction of her finger to where the pot was bulging with bubbling, starchy water. He refrained from swearing under his breath and moved to remove it from heat. Soliece giggled at her father, who gave her one of his famous death stares. She was unmoved by this action and continued her giggling.

"You, know, I oughta dump all these noodles out and make you go hungry, you little brat."

Soliece's wide golden eyes grew horrified, and she put out her hands, "No, no, no, no, no! Don't do that, daddy!"

Edward smirked; even though she was his own child, he wouldn't refrain from using threats to make her behave. He moved to the sink to drain the water and then quickly retrieved all the ingredients and began finishing the mac and cheese. Soliece watched with anticipation and amazement as her father concocted the sticky, cheesy dish, not tearing her eyes from it until it was in front of her in a bowl. She looked up at Edward and flashed her smile, "Thank you, daddy!" Immediately, she dug into the bowl with that typical Elric 

appetite. When he was sure that she was alright, he exited the kitchen and headed back to his office. Before he opened the door, he paused.

"_No _more interruptions, right?" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Uh-huh," Soliece answered, mouth full of macaroni.

He smiled softly and entered his office.

—**xx—**

**Hours later, the sun entered the office, illuminating everything with a** honey-colored glow. Edward leaned back and stretched, removing the eyeglasses from his nose. He let out a soft sigh and glanced down at the papers that lay scattered across his desk. He was finally finished with all the work that had piled up over the last couple of months, and now he could leave this office for good. He paused for a second, running his fingers through his short hair. Sometimes, he missed the braid that once lay down his back. People had told him it was his "signature braid," and when he cut if off, people were shocked. However, Edward had learned soon after Soliece was born that having a long plait of hair down his back while dealing with a small child could be dangerous. After about the sixtieth time of it being pulled by his lovably obnoxious daughter, he cut it off. He had considered growing it back out, but had grown accustomed to the lack of attention short hair needed.

The long golden bangs hung against his face, blocking his eyes from the sun, causing the warmth coming in through the window to be quite pleasant. These days, Edward was mostly content. He no longer jumped when ever the doorbell rang, or glanced out the window hopefully when footsteps were heard on the outside walk. He stopped checking for letters, and didn't pick up a newspaper each day to read about the rebellion. He hadn't given up hope, per say, but had instead stopped hoping so _much_.

Focusing on Soliece had helped that. Winry happily had the girl over when he worked, and being with his daughter had caused his friend to want children, as well, and was currently six months pregnant.

There was no suspicion with Edward's very sudden parenting; anyone that cared to ask was simply told that she was a relative's daughter who died. Though some saw it strange that Edward would be chosen as a parent, none questioned it.

Though the blonde had been able to cope and go on with his life, this wasn't to say that he didn't think about Roy every other second of the day. He'd still occasionally reach for the photo of his lover that was on his desk while working and stare at it for minutes. The last letter he had received was over six months ago, and it explained that, though things were getting better, they weren't very close to succeeding in the south. After almost four years without Roy, Edward had merely assumed that it would be another four before he'd ever see his lover again.

Such depressing thoughts caused the eldest Elric to sigh indefinitely. Edward still hoped, though. He hoped that the next knock to the door wouldn't be his brother, or Winry, or Lt. Hawkeye, but Roy Mustang, tanned and war beaten, finally home to stay. He hoped that the next set of mail that would come in their box would contain a letter from him. He hoped that the next time he entered his bedroom, Roy Mustang would be lying in their bed, completely nude—

_Thud._

Edward blinked out of his fantasy, leaning forward in his chair at the sound from the hallway. "Sol?" he called, and was answered by the _pitter-patter_

of her small, bare feet. He smiled and sighed in relief. He realized that he should probably go out there and entertain her, because before long, she would burst into his room and plead for her father to "_please come out and play, daddy, please, I'm bored, are you done, yet, daddy?_"

Then, he heard the creak of the door opening, and her feet return back down the hall. As expected, another_ knock, knock, knock _came to his door. Even though he didn't mean it, he yelled, "what did I say about interrupting me, Soliece?"

"Daddy!" He heard her bounce up and down outside her door, "Daddy, daddy, daddy!"

"I _told_ you not to interrupt me," he scolded jokingly, "I'm gonna come out there and play in just a sec!"

"_No,_ Daddy," she shot back angrily, "_listen—_"

"I know you're hungry, kid," he said, "but—"

"No!" She shouted, interrupting her dad foolishly. Edward, of course, would not allow this, and strode to the door and threw it open, letting it slam against the wall.

"What?!"

She smiled sweetly, "Daddy… _mommy's_ home!"

Edward blinked, contemplating these words, and then looked at where she was pointing to: the doorway. Standing there, was a ruffled, poorly shaven, tanned man. He held his bag with one hand over his shoulder and smirked with a smirk that was so-well remembered by Edward.

"Yelling at children, Edward? I see you haven't changed."

Edward hoped he wasn't dreaming. If he wasn't, it meant Roy Mustang was finally home.

—**xx—**

_**A/N:**__ Haha! DONE! You guys thought I had abandoned _Waiting Game, _hadn't you? Well, I did not forget, I was just missing the motivation and storyline I needed so badly. Well, it's back, and I hope you're ready for more_ WG_, because it's coming. Prepare yourself. Roy is home._

_.maria_


	12. House a Home

Chapter 12 – House a Home

**Chapter 12 – House a Home**

—**xx—**

…_**Stubble?**_

Edward could never remember stubble. The warm skin under his shuddering fingertips felt so unfamiliar, rough and scarred from war and what he could only assume had been sand blowing across it. His fingers could not comprehend the face it was feeling, because they had never felt one like it before. As his fingers tried to figure out whose skin they were desperately feeling, arms wrapped around Edward's body and pulled him into an embrace. Suddenly, his hand froze and fell to the shoulder, wrapping around the neck.

At that point, he just knew. This wasn't a dream. This was Roy Mustang, and he was home. His warm body surrounding him and his face nuzzling into the crook of his neck just all felt too… _real_ to be a dream.

"I…" a harsh, unknown whisper breathed into his ear, "I missed you, so much, Edward."

Edward's heart pounded mercilessly in his chest, and he repeated the sentiment to his returned partner. "I can't believe you're back, Roy. I had started to give up hope…"

The two separated, and Roy's familiarly warm eyes stared straight into his, "I'm here, Edward. I'm home—for good."

The two's lips met, finally, after four years of absence, in a soft, chaste kiss. It was warm and wonderful, the perfect way for the two to reunite. Edward's hand slid slowly down Roy's spine, feeling each vertebra under his fingertips, while Roy's hand merely pushed him closer into his chest. But, as Roy moved in to deepen the kiss, a young girl's laughter pierced the moment and interrupted their "welcome home" kiss, and Roy jerked his head back.

"Hee-hee, mommy and daddy are kissin'."

Edward gave his best wide-eyed stare, because, for once, he didn't understand his lover's confusion. After all, Edward had been living with his daughter for over three years. Roy, however, did not know of this child's existence, and has long-forgotten that she was even in the room.

"What's wrong?" Edward tilted his head.

"Edward…" Roy said, placing one hand on his lover's shoulder, as if to gain support, and using his other to point in Soliece's direction, "who the hell is that kid?"

—**xx—**

"…**So, you see, because of my tampering with alchemy that evening**, and our… various activities… Soliece Mustang-Elric came to be." The girl bounced in Edward's lap, her black hair pulled into a thick ponytail. As Edward combed through her waves, Roy stared in disbelief. "Roy, this is your daughter."

The colonel blinked several times from across the living room, where he was sitting on a recliner that was adjacent to the couch that Ed and Sol were sitting very exclusively on. Roy couldn't help but feel a tiny bit jealous of their bond. He stared at them, trying to mask his anger. The girl seemed to register this, and pushed herself off of her father's knee, dropping to the floor and marching over to her other parent. She gave him a look-over and furrowed her brow at him. Roy raised his own eyebrow.

"You don't look like a mommy." She pointed out.

Edward snickered, but then zipped his lips when Roy shot him a glare.

"I'm _not_ a mommy," he gulped, "_sweetie_, I'm a boy."

She stomped her foot in an adorable, three-year-old confusion, "daddy said you were my mommy! I asked him where my mommy was, and he said _you_ were my mommy." She growled, "But you're a boy!"

"Soliece!" Edward shot, causing his daughter to jump, her ponytail bouncing along with her, "that's _not_ what I said at all. I said that you didn't have a mommy, but that Roy was kind of like your mommy, but more like a second daddy."

She turned tentatively and smiled at her father, "Oh… right! I remember!" Turning back around, she gave Roy a toothy grin, "so you're my daddy, too! That's right! You're a boy! Then I like you!" She jumped onto the recliner and into Roy's lap, wrapping her arms as far as they would go around his waist. "Welcome home, daddy!"

Roy stared down at the girl in his lap and then looked back up at Edward, who shrugged in response. He looked down at her again, and then reluctantly returned her hug, holding her small body in his arms. He wasn't quite sure how this whole "father" thing was going to work, but he was wiling to try,

"Hey, kiddo?" Edward called to the girl, who responded by scooting around in her father's lap to look at Edward. "You know what time it is?"

She frowned, "_Daddy_, I don't wanna go to bed! I want to talk to Daddy Roy!"

"It's nine-thirty, kid, it's way past your bed time, and daddy and I need to talk. You can talk to him in the morning, okay? I'm sure Daddy Roy is tired," he raised his eyes to his partner, narrowing them slightly, "and would like a shower, and to go to bed."

Roy quirked his eyebrows at him knowingly as Soliece shoved off his lap and hopped to the floor. "Aw, okay, daddy." She ran to him, and shockingly to Roy, Edward caught her, right on cue, and kissed her on the forehead, and then received one from her on his cheek. She turned around in her father's arms and smiled at Roy, "night Daddy Roy! Don't forget that we're gonna talk tomorrow!"

Roy smiled tiredly at the excited girl and watched as Edward took her down the hall, catching an adorable yawn as he turned into a room. Roy sighed and pushed himself up, following his lover into Soliece's bedroom.

The room was decorated it reds and golds, and even as Roy turned off the light after receiving the head motion from Edward to do so, it seemed to glow in an almost fire-like way. He moved towards Edward and looked over his shoulder. Wrapping Edward in his arms, he leaned over to whisper in his ear, "she's beautiful, Ed. She's really wonderful."

"You believe me, right?" Edward asked, not turning around. "That I did actually conceive her?"

"…yes," Roy responded, "it's a little bit shocking, but I'm not as surprised as I think I should have been. With all the stuff you do with human transmutation, I'm surprised it didn't happen any earlier."

"I… really have a soft spot for her," Edward admitted, cheeks burning, "I never thought I could care this much about a kid, but… she's _my _kid—_our_ kid. I just want to do everything I can to make sure she doesn't turn out all screwed up like me."

"You're not screwed up, Edward," Roy stated firmly, "you were on a tougher road than any 12-year-old, and now that you're an adult, you understand that you have to work hard for things." He ran a hand down Edward's back slowly, "it's made you a better person."

"I guess," Edward said, ignoring the sensation that Roy was creating, and the fact that he was hard hours ago. "I just hope that I can teach her everything that she needs to know, that I can protect her and be there for her, and not walk out like my dad did."

"I believe you can do that, Edward." Roy removed his hand, and then quickly and quietly scooped his lover up into his arms, holding him and smiling devilishly. "I also believe you said something about me needing to get to bed?"

Edward smiled, disregarding the very wife-like position he was in, "I believe you are correct, Colonel."

Roy tiptoed out of the bedroom, pushing the door closed behind him. He moved towards the bedroom quickly, slipping in the door and closing it. Throwing his lover onto the bed, he quickly followed, jumping on top of him, ravaging him with his lips. Edward's heart pounded, and he pulled away to pull his ear to his mouth. "I…" Edward whispered harshly, almost out of breath, "…I love you." He then took his partner's lobe into his mouth, nibbling softly, causing him to inhale sharply.

"…I love you, too," Roy breathed, after hesitating slightly at first.

Edward's fingers made quick work of Roy's shirt, tugging it over his head and moving back in to kiss him tenderly. The stubble on Roy's chin tickled his lips as they moved, and he ran his fingers over it quickly. "I dunno about this beard business, Mustang," he murmured against his lips, before moving to his neck and working on it.

"Mmm… I kind of like it… mmm," he inhaled sharply, "I was thinking of keeping it."

Ed's looked up at Roy from his neck, and then moved backwards to look him straight in the eye. "What? You _like_ it?" He pondered this for a moment. "You always told me that you hated stubble, that it make you look dirty."

Roy shrugged lazily, "I think it makes me look… refined."

"You look like a damned asshole."

Raising an eyebrow, Roy shot, "Well, you always said you wouldn't cut your hair, and I'm not fucking chastising you!"

"You try raising a goddamn toddler who finds joy in hanging from a braid!"

"Well—" Roy bit his lip, "look, I just thought I'd try it out. If it doesn't look good, I'll shave it."

"You're just… different," Edward pouted, "I wasn't expecting it."

"Well," the raven-haired man joked, "I wasn't expecting a little girl, and especially wasn't expecting a daughter. Come on," he smiled, leaning in, "let's not fight."

Edward would have responded, had he not been interrupted by Roy's lips, covering his. In the next couple of seconds, Ed's mind pretty much decided that the fight wasn't important, and a few later, had completely forgotten it.

As clothes were discarded and strewn across the room, Edward felt his heart pound faster as his fingers and eyes moved over the body that he had missed so much. It, fortunately, had not changed. In fact, save for a few scars, appeared to be exactly the same from top to bottom. Finally, the two lay together, only separated by two pair of boxers, and Edward, for one, wanted Roy's off immediately—just to make sure that it was all the same, of course. His hand moved slowly, shakily, to the front of Roy's boxers, feeling there softly.

"Why are you…" Roy breathed, "…you're teasing me…"

Edward looked up slowly, and the gripped harder, causing Roy to gasp and grab the bedding for support. His hips moved into Edward's hand, rocking back and forth as the younger made no attempt at moving.

"…please…"

Edward thought for a moment, and then yanked down the shorts, taking the length into his mouth quickly, without any warning. Sucking hard, he kept going for several seconds before releasing it.

"Wha-wha-wha… what… are you doing…?"

"Fuck me."

—**xx—**

**Water washed down Edward's back, **and he stared up into the spout and watched the shower spit it out at him, not caring that it was hot and getting into his eyes. He was too busy thinking; thinking how incredible that everything was back to normal—that Roy was back. It just seemed so… _impossible_. He had dreamed of this day every day since Roy left, and now that he was back, well… he didn't know quite how to react. He wasn't the same, that was for sure. His skin was dark, his face unshaven, his attitude laid back, and he was so inattentive. He didn't seem to care that he was suddenly a father, or that Edward was back in his arms. He certainly wasn't as excited about it as Edward was.

Of course, it was probably just the shock of being back, thrown into the lifestyle that fate have given him four years to get out of the habit of. He was shocked that he was father to his daughter, and shocked that he would not be part of the war anymore. Roy would understand it all after a good night's sleep, of course, and he would be just the same as he was before.

Edward ran his hands through his hair, still expecting to have the long blonde hair he was used to and running it too far. Some things had to change, he reminded himself, as he did every time he missed his hair. The reason why he wanted to keep it was because of his mother, and truthfully, it broke his heart a little bit to not have it anymore. But, he continued to tell himself, Soliece was because of his mother, too, so it wasn't a loss, but more of a gain. Soliece was his day, his night. He never saw himself as a father, and never saw himself loving a child as he did now. Now that Roy was here, they would be a family. She would be able to have two parents, to know Roy, and things would go back to normal.

It just needed some time.

—**xx—**

**It hurt so much he wanted to scream**. He thought that coming back would fix everything and awaken all the feelings he had once had for the person he had once called "lover." He thought that kissing him, hugging him, hearing his voice, being with him again would bring them back.

But everything was different. He would just have to get used to all these changes.

It just needed some time.

—**xx—**

_**A/N:**__ Woo! Another chapter out! Yeah. This is gonna get crazy. Just keep paying attention—something is about to happen._

_Love all of you who keep reading after all this time!_

**maria**


End file.
